Shrewsbury Town debrief: Can Salop start planning for next season?

While survival is still possible, mathematically, Salop are in rotten form, and the defeat at Exeter was painful in more ways than one - their chances of staying in the third tier for an 11th consecutive season appear to have evaporated away. 

The sad thing is that it now leaves Shrewsbury in limbo. They have 10 League One games left, and there is still so much football to be played. 

Can they begin to plan for next season? 

Well, in any other season, the answer would be yes. Yet, with the club in a period of exclusivity with new owners, everything depends on that being completed, and at what point a sale goes through. 

Liam Dooley, the club’s chief executive, said just last week in a podcast that Town have the lowest budget in the third tier of English football. 

But while they do not know who is going to be in charge of the club next season, it is going to be hard for them to make decisions on player contracts - they will not know what budget they will be working with.

Contingencies will have to be put in place, and Town will have to continue to run the business as if chairman Roland Wycherley is going to be in situ. 

He has accepted he can no longer compete financially with some of the powerhouses in this division. 

But until the outcome of a takeover, one way or another, is reached, it is hard for Salop to do any meaningful planning.

The chances are decisions will not be made until the season finishes.

Callum Stewart ready for a start

On the field, former Leamington striker Stewart has impressed in recent weeks. He came in during the January window, and he signed a two-and-a-half-year deal in Shropshire. 

Thus far, he has been limited to making cameos off the bench. Gareth Ainsworth has asked him to make an impact in games seven times, but he is still waiting to make that elusive full professional debut. 

He has made a very positive impression in recent weeks with contributions against Bristol Rovers last Tuesday night, and given the circumstances at Exeter, he did OK there too. 

With Town’s League One fate basically decided, it could be time to let Stewart have a run in the team. 

Was Exeter the worst day of the campaign?

There have been some pretty dark days following Shrewsbury this season, but that has got to be right up there.

A long journey, and for the players to lack the physicality to compete in that match was not a good look. 

You know it's bad if Gareth Ainsworth is calling them out for their lack of fight after the game - that is an avenue he avoids.

His post-match interview was honest. Given it was such a big game, with Shrewsbury in last-chance saloon, the performance they put out was so poor - while defeats at Burton, Cambridge, and Salford have also been pretty torrid days, this was well up there. 

What do they now need mathematically to stay up?

Though all hope appears lost, Shrews are not relegated yet and they cannot give up.

To do so though, they would realistically need to win seven of their final 10 games - they have won seven out of their 36 matches so far. 

That would take them to 49 points, which was enough to stay up in each of the last four seasons.