Shrewsbury Town are looking to extend the gap between themselves and the relegation zone this weekend, as Accrington Stanley are the visitors to Croud Meadow.
Salop have won their last three League Two matches to put a seven-point buffer over 23rd-place Harrogate Town, though the bottom two sides in the fourth tier were also victorious in midweek.
Gavin Cowan’s side face another tough test tomorrow afternoon, against an Accrington side knocking on the door of the play-offs.
Positive News On Two Shrewsbury Men
Despite their impressive recent run, Shrewsbury have had to cope with a few injury issues in recent times. While Sam Clucas has missed the three-game winning streak, Anthony Scully started that particular run with his opener against Barrow. That followed another injury setback at the start of this year, with his hamstring injury appearing to have resurfaced against Notts County on Tuesday evening.
Scully made way after half an hour against the Magpies, though Salop’s head coach was able to give some good news on him and Clucas.
“A bit of a hamstring problem, we’re still assessing it,” Cowan said on Scully. “We’re just trying to give it every possible chance. We’ll know a little bit more tomorrow morning.
“He’s [Clucas] ramped up his training this week. Someone of that experience and talent, we want in and around the group as soon as possible. He’s getting very close to hopefully be in contention for tomorrow.”
Concern Over Captain
Unfortunately, the news wasn’t as good regarding club captain John Marquis. Another former Lincoln City man in Shrewsbury’s ranks, he has scored three times in the fourth tier this season. But the experienced EFL forward, who enjoyed prolific scoring spells at Doncaster Rovers and Portsmouth earlier in his career, has been absent for the last two matches.
And it appears he won’t be available for the near future, following the latest update from Cowan.
“He’s just done part of his knee. We’re looking at about another four weeks. Although John, being the pro and the warrior that he is, will be saying it’s four days.”
League Two’s Surprise Package?
Tipped by many for another season of struggle, Accrington have gone massively under the radar this term. They have emerged from the mid-table pack to sit just six points outside the top seven places in League Two, following a run of four wins in their last five matches. For a club who continue to do their business with a fraction of the wealth of some of their league rivals, Accy can be mightily impressed with their achievements so far this campaign.
But Shrewsbury are a side that have recently thrived against in-form teams. While their victory over Barrow was against a fellow relegation rival, wins against Swindon Town and Notts County were quite the opposite. Both teams are in the top five places in the fourth tier, and their reverses in Shropshire were the only time the pair have been beaten in their past six league encounters.
Cowan will be hoping for another surprise result tomorrow afternoon, as Salop seek a strong end to a largely disappointing campaign before the 44-year-old arrived.
