Shrewsbury performance tells a false story - but they're missing just one part

Since he turned up at Salop with the club staring down the barrel of relegation to League Two, Gareth Ainsworth has set his side up to take on the big boys.

Results haven't come as freely against sides around them, but against some of the bigger sides in the league.

And while it may not have been the case on Tuesday night at the Croud Meadow, the performance told a different story.

The display was arguably the one underlining positive of the evening.

Ainsworth's side again, against a League One big boy and a former Premier League side, had the more dangerous opportunities and arguably chances.

The work rate instilled by Ainsworth is there, it is a given now, but it isn't always he case for clubs struggling at the bottom.

But he has that, the next bit is having that ability to put pressure on. They can do that. They can pepper the box, they have a presence in there and that can cause issues.

The next part is the ability to put the ball in the net, to take those chances. Unfortunately for Salop, they can't do that on a regular enough basis.

It was the difference against Huddersfield. Not massively as it was just one goal that was the difference, but it was a sharp and quality finish.

That is why Salop are where they are and the Terriers are where they are.

However, the biggest compliment you could pay Ainsworth's men after that is that a neutral wouldn't be able to tell who was who and what position they were in.

And like I've said, if you took that display in isolation then you'd struggle to tell how Salop were where the are.

Unfortunately, they are where they are for a number of reasons. Ainsworth has addressed some of them, he just needs that final little solution to take Salop to safety.