3.00 Saturday 19/01/2019
Just when Blackpool's season seemed to be fizzling out into nothingness, it has appeared to have been reignited by an unexpected win on the south coast. That win against Pompey was not only a deserved one, but a victory that heaps confidence onto a side that were beginning to lose motivation. Anderton, Long and Mafoumbi all proved their worth, and with Tilt and Turton set to return, Blackpool are looking more like the side they were earlier in the season. It is essential that Blackpool pick up a positive result against the Shrews then, because they have lagged a long way behind now into the chasing pack and have to keep this momentum going.
Injuries and Suspensions:
For Blackpool Ryan, Cullen and Clayton all remain on the treatment table, but McPhillips has confirmed that Tilt and Turton are both likely to be in the 18. Nathan Delfouneso went off injured against Portsmouth and could be rested as a precaution.
Shrewsbury's key man Shaun Whalley is certain to be out with Omar Beckles' position being left in the dark; he was in the 18 against Stoke however.
Shrewsbury Town
Having been so very close to achieving Championship football last season and then for manager Paul Hurst to jump ship, Shrewsbury have lost much of the potent quality they possessed last year. They sit in 18th position despite making it to round 4 in the FA Cup on Tuesday. This season has already seen the dismissal of John Askey, as they have failed to replicate the unexpected wonders of last season.
Shrewsbury, who play their home football at the 9,875 capacity New Meadow, finished 3rd in League one last season before Paul Hurst departed for Ipswich, at which he had an ill fated few months.
The Blues were founded in 1886 and since being formed, have played the majority of their football in the lower divisions of English football. The Shrews have never actually been beyond their current division in the football pyramid since 2003, making last year's playoff defeat all the more bitter.
The Manager:
Shrewsbury manager Sam Ricketts, who is only 37, took over in charge in early December. The Aylesbury born former defender had a successful 16 year career playing for Hull and Bolton in the Premier League. He was very adaptable as a player, which for a manager, is a very good trait to have had. He started his career at Oxford, where he played 45 times, starting a career in which he would play just shy of 500 games and score 12 goals.
As a manager he is yet to have been given the opportunity to put his stamp on the side, but he impressed during his time at Wrexham, winning 54% of the time after joining at the start of this season.
The Squad:
https://www.skysports.com/shrewsbury-town-squad
Recent Signings:
https://www.shrewsburytown.com/news/2019/january/keeper-set-to-join-up/
https://www.shrewsburytown.com/news/2019/january/brad-walker-joins-town/
https://www.shrewsburytown.com/news/2019/january/dave-edwards-returns-to-town/
Statistics
Currently just three points off the drop zone, Town are teetering on the edge of disaster this season. The simple fact is that they are not scoring enough goals; just 1.07 goals on average and despite this actually being better than Blackpool's record, if you are not scoring many, a water tight defence is required and although they are not actually that bad in that department, the 1.3 goals the concede on average does not make up for the lack of fire power.
As a whole, they have won just 26% of matches and just once in their last seven League meetings. The one bit of respite they have had is in the FA Cup, watch their defeat of Stoke below. They will lose a bit off all important recuperation time though, due to that Stoke match taking place on Tuesday.
Terry McPhillips Preview:
Nick Anderton Preview:
UTP