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New Meadow
New Meadow

Shrewsbury v Grimsby Preview

By: Sam Kinnaird
Date: 11/12/2009

GRIMSBY head to Shrewsbury having drawn a lot of games recently, but at least finally having broken their goal drought last week. With one or two players starting to come back from injury Neil Woods has quite a few options to choose from in his large squad.

Home > 2009-2010 Season > Previews > Shrewsbury (a)


Who are they?

Their History

Formed in 1886 from the ashes of banned team Castle Blues, a side banished from football for their often violent games, Shrewsbury are affectionately known as ‘the Shrews.’ they've reached the FA Cup Quarter Final stage twice, in 1979 and 1982 and the final of the Football League Trophy in 1962. Recent years have seen the club become one of the few teams to successfully return to the Football League at the first attempt, having been relegated in 2003. New manager Jimmy Quinn was the man charged with getting the club promoted in the 2003/4 season soon after he took control. Shrewsbury were very much the ‘big fish’ within the Conference in that season, an inconsistent campaign ensued but the club were able to finish the season in third place but 17 points behind Chester and Hereford. The Shrews managed to beat Barnet on penalties in a thrilling semi-final before heading for Stoke’s Britannia Stadium for the final against Aldershot. The final also went to penalties after a dreary match finished 1-1, defender Trevor Challis stroked home the winning penalty to send the 12,000 or so Shrewsbury fans into ecstasy and back into League Two.

Manager Quinn was sacked just 14 games into the new season as the Shrews struggled, and Gary Peters took over at the helm. He was only just able to keep the club in the division, but the following season saw the side finish the season in a remarkable 10th position, 17 points and six places behind the Mariners. Peters managed to build on the excellent campaign in the 2006/7 season when Shrewsbury finished the season in 7th place, drawing 2-2 on the final day against Town in the final League game at Gay Meadow. They beat MK Dons 2-1 on aggregate to set up a final at the new Wembley Stadium against Bristol Rovers, but Shrews fans were left heartbroken by a 3-1 defeat. Even so, it was a fantastic achievement to reach the final by a side who were as low at 16th going into the New Year.

The 2007/8 campaign saw Shrewsbury move into their new stadium, The New Meadow, it was a disappointing start to a campaign that saw Peters replaced by Paul Simpson in March. Simpson somehow managed to steer the club into the play-offs though, and they met Bury in the semi-finals. The first leg ended 1-1 at The New Meadow with Shrews’ Kevin McIntyre scoring a screamer at the death to clinch the draw. A tense second leg ended goalless and again penalties would decide the outcome, fortunately for Shrewsbury fans their time won 4-3 thanks to two excellent saves from on-loan keeper Luke Daniels. The final against Gillingham, a side who had spent much of the season in and around the top three, but stumbled into the play-offs after a shocking run of form towards the end of the season. A nervy game ensued, but it was settled by a last minute header from Gillingham’s Simeon Jackson, more play-off heartbreak for the Blues.

This Season

This season has been one of inconsistency; impressive wins against Rotherham and Crewe have coincided with defeats against Port Vale, Darlington and even Staines Town in the FA Cup. Despite this, the Shrews currently sit in 9th place in League Two, just two points off the play-offs with a superior goal difference. The home form has been good, with five wins and only two defeats in the 10 games so far.

Famous ex-Players

Current on-loan Birmingham goalkeeper Joe Hart began his career with Shrewsbury before making his big money move to Manchester City, a fee which has already topped £1 million due to his England appearance against Trinidad and Tobago. Other famous players include David Pleat, Gary Megson, Jimmy Quinn and Ian Woan. Perhaps the most famous of all is Neville Southall, the goalkeeper who was once thought to be one of the best in the world. Although Southall was only on the books at Shrewsbury at the end of his career, and he never made an appearance, he is still thought to be a favourite ex-player at the club.

Key Man

23 year old frontman Dave Hibbert joined the club in 2007 after spells with Port Vale, Preston, Rotherham and Bradford City. Up until this season, his promise has failed to bring the goals he desperately needed. But since the summer, the Stafford-bon striker has hit the net nine times in all competitions. The youngster was the clubs top scorer in the 2007/8 season despite scoring only 12 goals and last season scored only three goals all campaign. Despite this, he has hit form this year with a number of important strikes against the likes of Barnet, Accrington and Cheltenham, and at one point had scored seven goals in nine games. The frontman will need to be watched closely by the town defence.

That was the game that was

Shrewsbury 2-2 Grimsby (League Two – Saturday 5th May 2007)

The final game of the 2006/7 season saw the Mariners travel to Shrewsbury for what would be the final ever League game at Gay Meadow. Town were backed by around 1,200 noisy fans who hoped for a win in the blazing sunshine. It was also a special day for Mariners legend John McDermott as he made his final appearance for the club. Young striker Andy Taylor put Town 1-0 up after 29 minutes when he raced onto a long ball before Shrewsbury equalised through a Ben Davies penalty on 63. The home side went ahead just ten minutes later when Kelvin Langmead headed in from a free kick. McDermott was then substituted for Justin Whittle with 15 minutes to go, and received a rousing reception from the travelling army of Mariners fans. With just seconds remaining, a thumping header from Town defender Nick Fenton meant the game ended 2-2 and the Mariners went into the close season on a high.

Recent Form

TownShrewsbury
DDagenham(h)1-1
DMacclesfield(a)0-0
LBradford(h)0-3
DLincoln(a)0-0
DNorthampton(a)0-0
Currently 23rd in League Two.
LBournemouth(h)0-1
WRotherham(a)2-0
LHereford(h)1-2
DBury(a)1-1
DTorquay(a)1-1
Currently 9th in League Two.

Top Scorers

TownShrewsbury
Sweeney5
Conlon4
Hibbert9
Labadie5

Team News

TownShrewsbury

  • Strikers Danny North and Adrian Forbes' impressive performances in the 1-0 victory over Newcastle reserves have increased their chances of selection..

  • Nathan Jarman is close to a comeback after featuring in the reserve game.

  • Joe Widdowson (foot) and Bradley Wood (ankle) will both miss out.

  • Robbie Stockdale is still injured.
  • Top scorer David Hibbert (hamstring) is once again unavailable.

  • Craig Disley (knee) and Lewis Neal (ankle) will both miss out, as will Glyn Garner (knock) and Jake Simpson (knees).

  • Full-back Shane Cansdell-Sherriff serves a one-match suspension after picking up his fifth booking of the season

  • Craig Disley (knee) and Lewis Neal (calf) are still out

  • Chris Neal (finger), Mike Jackson (bone bruising) and Glyn Garner (shoulder) are still out.
  • Squads

    TownShrewsbury
    1GKNick Colgan
    2DFRobbie Stockdale
    3DFJoe Widdowson
    5DFMatthew Heywood
    6MFPeter Sweeney
    7MFAdrian Forbes
    8FWNathan Jar man
    9FWAdam Proudlock
    10FWBarry Conlon
    11MFDanny Boshell
    12DFJamie Clarke
    13MFNick Hegarty
    14MFPeter Bore
    15DFMatthew Bird
    16DFPaul Linwood
    17MFGrant Normington
    18FWChris Jones
    19MFMichael Leary
    20MFJammal Shahin
    21FWMichael Coulson
    23MFOliver Lancashire
    24DFDamien McCrory
    25DFRob Atkinson
    26FWJean-Louis Akpa Akpro
    27FWDanny North
    28FWJosh Fuller
    29FWBradley Wood
    31MFNicky Featherstone
    32MFMark Hudson
    33FWBen Wright
    35GKLeigh Overton
    1 GK Glyn Garner
    2 DF Dean Holden
    4 DF Michael Jackson
    5 DF Graham Coughlan (captain)
    6 MF Terry Dunfield
    7 MF Craig Disley
    8 DF Kelvin Langmead (vice-captain)
    9 FW David Hibbert
    10 FW Ömer Riza
    11 FW Jake Robinson
    12 FW Nathan Elder
    14 FW Kris Bright
    15 MF Paul Murray
    18 MF Steven Leslie
    19 DF Harry Hooman
    20 FW Andre Gray
    21 MF Jake Simpson
    22 GK Andreas Arestidou
    23 MF Lewis Neal
    24 DF Shane Cansdell-Sherriff
    26 MF Jamie Devitt (on loan from Hull City)
    27 FW Waide Fairhurst (on loan from Doncaster Rovers)
    28 MF Kevin McIntyre
    29 GK David Button (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
    30 GK Chris Neal
    31 MF Will Richards
    32 DF Danny Taylor
    33 MF Jon Taylor
    40 GK Hakun Duyan

    Head to Head

    Town have a decent record against Shrewsbury in recent seasons, losing just one of the last eight and none of the last three. Some town fans may remember the 5-1 drubbing of the Shrews in the 1981/82 season and even I can remember the 4-0 thrashing in the FA Cup in 1997/98, as the following cup game saw us visit the ’mighty’ Leeds United! Town have won 23 of the 52 games overall, and Shrewsbury have won 16; there have been 13 draws of which only two have been goalless.

    P52 W23 D13 L16 F 77 A 69

    Head-to-Head (19th The Opposition Ladder)

    Last Meeting

    Grimsby 1 Shrewsbury 1 (Sat 04th Apr 2009)

    The almost inevitable draw towards the end of last season.

    Report

    Prediction

    The Fishy Prediction

    Shrewsbury are strong at home, but the Mariners seem to have stopped leaking goals, another solid away point.

    Shrewsbury 1-1 Grimsby

    Reader's POMs

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