Shrewsbury v Wigan Athletic preview: Doomsday looms again for Salop

Shrewsbury could even be relegated before they kick-off at 3pm on Good Friday if Burton Albion avoid defeat at Exeter City in the early kick-off. 

If Exeter emerge victorious in that clash in Devon then Shrewsbury must beat Wigan to preserve their League One status for another week and hope that Bristol Rovers lose at high-fliers Wrexham. 

Rovers need only a point to consign Shrewsbury to relegation regardless of their result against Wigan, who are not quite mathematically safe themselves. 

Admittedly, the writing has been on the wall for months and relegation has appeared a foregone conclusion after a hapless season for the Salop. 

If they stand any chance of delaying the inevitable then they would need to end a 13-match winless run which stretches back to a 2-1 triumph at Rotherham United on February 8.

They were condemned to the foot of the table a week later and have stayed there ever since then following a dismal return of four points from the last 11 games.

In fact, Shrewsbury have spent all but one match day out of the bottom four, with the club last sitting on the right side of the dotted line at the end of August.

And after avoiding the drop by just four points last term, the Shrews' decade long stay in the third-tier looks destined to come to an end over the coming days.

Shrewsbury can at least take heart from a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Lincoln City last weekend after Aaron Pierre rescued a point on his 150th appearance for the club.

Interim boss Michael Appleton has also been saying the right things to the media in the build-up to the game. 

Barring a miracle of the highest proportions, Shrewsbury are down regardless of what happens in the final four games, but they can at least finish a season of turmoil on a positive note. 

In many ways, the shackles are off and they have nothing to lose. Appleton will also want to boost his own aspirations of extending his stay beyond the end of the season which he stated was his intentions last week.

The 49-year-old, the club's third manager of the season after Gareth Ainsworth and Paul Hurst, is expected to have discussions over his future this week.

Appleton has collected just two points from his first five games at the helm (drawing twice, losing three) - although that is still a point more than his predecessor Ainsworth mustered in his final seven outings (drawing once, losing six).

He inspired them to a goalless draw at automatic promotion contenders Wycombe Wanderers in his second game and collected a point on his return to former club Lincoln last weekend. 

Goals remain at a premium with just three in their last five but Shrewsbury have at least created more chances over the past two games against Reading and Lincoln respectively. 

The challenge now is to convert more of those opportunities into goals.