Q&A With Two Shrewsbury Town Supporters

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And now for the answers provided by Dave:

How long have you supported Shrewsbury Town?

Since 1986.

Where did you finish last season?

17th. Which was pretty much nailed on to be honest as we seemed to spend the vast majority of the season there.

What do you think of your manager?

It’s getting there. I’m quite optimistic about next season. There are signs that slowly but surely, we’re improving, that we might not be spending a season looking over our shoulder but perhaps troubling midtable and perhaps more. Not all is rosy however, as Cotterill is suggesting that as he sees it, the budget available isn’t enough to improve things as much as he would like to but let’s wait and see.

What were/are your hopes and expectations for the 2021/22 season?

Same old, same old for this level now. Hoping that we might push on a little but knowing that for the most part it’s just about keeping ourselves just above the relegation spots. Job done on that front by the looks as we now look pretty safe.

One(s) to watch?

Luke Leahy has had an impressive season and remains in decent form. Shout out to the two front lads, Udoh and Bowman, who have both managed to get into double figures this season (trust me, for Town that’s something). And shout out to the defense and the goalkeeper too as whilst we might be sat in 16th, we’ve only conceded the 37 goals (only bettered by the top two).

Which teams do you think will finish in the top six in League One?

I think Rotherham and Wigan look well set for automatic promotion. As for the play-offs, who knows. But it will be a decent watch with even Pompey in 10th looking to get involved.

Which teams do you think will finish in the bottom four in League One?

I think the teams that are already down there now. Not much indication from any of them that they are capable of turning things around.

What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?

Surprised you are where you are. Tend to think of Lincoln as a side that should be in the top ten in this division now. Maybe the momentum as the last few seasons is starting to wane?

What do you think the score will be?

I’ll go 2-1 to Town. We’re looking decent at the minute.

Random fact about your Club?

Arthur Rowley, Town’s record goalscorer also holds the record for the most goals in the history of English league football (scoring 434 from 619 league games). Rowley played for and then went on to manage Town.

If you could steal one Lincoln City player for your own team, who would it be and why?

Sorry, I don’t know any.

What are your proudest and most embarrassing moments as a Shrewsbury Town supporter?

Everton in the FA Cup was a special moment with the last minute Jemson winner. Leading on from that, however, we were eventually relegated to the Conference that season.

Who would you say is your most underrated player?

No one comes to mind at the moment.

Do you have a Supporters Trust and what role do they play at the Club?

Shrewsbury are the first club in England and Wales to install “safe standing” and our Supporter Parliament played a significant part in getting that in place. They have done more besides too including (I think) the introduction of the FanZone on a match day. Can’t speak highly enough of them.

Which was your favourite match involving Shrewsbury Town?

Everton in the FA Cup, we beat them 2-1 in 2003.

Which was your least favourite match involving Shrewsbury Town?

Histon in the FA Cup in 2004 was pretty bad. Losing to Rushden and Diamonds 5-1 and Boston 6-0 in the season we were relegated to the Conference were real low points. Losing 5-0 in the Conference season was a bad one too. Thankfully we have turned things around somewhat since then.

Do you have a Former Players Association at Shrewsbury Town?

I don’t think we do at the moment but there are plans afoot to do so.

Who do you consider to be your local rivals? Historically/geographically I’ve always ‘grouped’ you with Chester, Wrexham & Hereford. All of which have seen better days!

Yep, those three and in addition, you can add Walsall. Not being from the town itself I’m not really on board with the feelings that many have towards Chester, Wrexham, and Hereford but for sure I would say that is who most Town fans see as our rivals. With perhaps more eyes now on FC Tinseltown just across the border with the arrival of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

What proportion of the ground is now ‘safe-standing’ and as a fan would you prefer open terraces?

From what I can see the stadium itself has a capacity of 9,875, the South stand of 1,955 of which 550 is standing. I think it’s great that supporters now have a choice (to stand or sit) however, I think it’s a shame that we are charging fans the same amount to sit or stand. I would prefer the club to use that section as a means to lower the ticket price and hopefully get more people in the stadium. If I had my choice, I would make the whole of that stand standing and make it cheaper to watch the game from there. I much prefer standing and terraces (which thankfully I am able to enjoy every other week at the Stuttgarter Kickers here in Stuttgart).

You have had two terrific results against Morecambe and Rotherham in the last couple of matches. They stand out as probably your best of the season. Has there been a reason for that, i.e., a change of formation, tactic, etc… or is it just a case of a couple of games where it has just fallen right?

First things first, Morecambe look like a side who have pretty much given up already. They were, as the result suggests, pretty poor on the day. But with that said, it was still an impressive performance from Town. As for Rotherham, perhaps we shouldn’t have been so surprised at the result up there because in the home game we played against them only a short time ago (1st March) we were the better side and Rotherham did well to come away with a point. As to any reason, I think it’s always been there but things just seemed to have clicked on these two occasions. Taking the chances that come your way always helps of course (which is something we haven’t always been capable of doing this season).

Have a go at our Lincoln City versus Shrewsbury Town Quizzes, published last season (they were all correct at the time they were published):

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