Get the lowdown on our next opponents: Shrewsbury Town

The Opposition

Shrewsbury Town endured a difficult 2024/25 campaign, finishing bottom of League One and thus brought an end to a decade-long stay in the third tier of English football.

Headed up by a host of different managers, the club cycled through three leaders over the course of the campaign, with Gareth Ainsworth replacing Paul Hurst in November, before Michael Appleton took over in late March in a last-ditch attempt to save their League One status, though that effort ultimately proved too little, too late.

While occasional moments of glory, including wins over the eventual top two in Birmingham City and Wrexham AFC that showed glimpses of character, they couldn’t paper over bigger structural problems, with defensive frailties and inconsistency becoming too much to overcome.

Indeed, a tally of 79 goals conceded displayed a defensive record that ultimately underpinned their relegation, and was something Appleston will have been keen to address, such was the arrivals of four defenders in the summer, with Tom Anderson (Doncaster Rovers), Sam Stubbs (Bradford City), Will Boyle (Wrexham AFC) and Josh Ruffels (Huddersfield Town) all making the switch to Shropshire, along with the experienced Sam Clucas from Lincoln City, versatile, defensive-minded midfielder Tom Sang from Port Vale and goalkeeper highly rated Will Brook from Leamington.

Despite the struggles, there were a few bright spots up front for Salop, as John Marquis emerged as the club’s leading attacking contributor, scoring 11 goals during the season and delivering the best campaign he’s had in several years, last hitting double figures for Portsmouth with a 16-goal haul in 2020/21. New signing George Lloyd also showed flashes of promise, establishing himself as a hard-working forward with versatility, and the duo, alongside Mal Benning, Alex Gilliead and Luca Hoole were regular figures on the pitch throughout the turbulence in the dugout, all appearing over 40 times last term.

Looking ahead to 2025/26, now back in League Two, Shrewsbury had the chance to reset under Michael Appleton, who remained in charge following relegation, while the core of their squad have all remained, solidifying and improving their backline, while building a stable core in midfield and attack, relying on forwards Marquis and Lloyd, along with the arrivals of Anthony Scullly (Portsmouth) and Ismeal Kabia (Arsenal) helping to bolster their firepower up top.

Despite this, the Shrews currently sit 20th in League Two, with the threat of back-to-back relegations a possibility with just a point separating them from the bottom two, and they will be looking to put gloss on their campaign so far with an FA Cup run that began with a 3-1 victory over National League North side South Shields, while building momentum as they look to turn their league campaign up a gear.

The Manager

Michael Appleton

Once a highly-rated coach at Leicester City, Michael Appleton has taken the reins at Shrewsbury since March 2025, having joined initially as caretaker boss.

A former midfielder, Appleton came through the ranks at the famed Manchester United academy, and after loan spells away at Wimbledon, Lincoln City and Grimsby Town, departed Old Trafford with no appearances to his name to join Preston North End.

He went on to spend four years at Deepdale, making over 100 appearances as the Whites won promotion to Division One as champions in 2000. This was followed by a two-year stint at West Bromwich Albion, but his time with the Baggies proved to be haunted by a knee injury sustained in training, limiting him to just 38 appearances between 2001 and 2003 and eventually brought his career to a premature end.

After being forced to retire, Appleton remained at West Brom in a coaching capacity, working with a host of different age groups in the youth side for five years before being appointed as First Team Coach in 2009, and later as caretaker manager following the dismissal of Roberto Di Matteo.

He went on to kick-start his managerial career with spells in charge of Portsmouth, Blackpool, Blackburn Rovers and Oxford United, leading the latter to two Wembley appearances as well as his first promotion, before returning to a coaching role with a move to Leicester in 2017.

Being appointed as assistant to the late Craig Shakespeare, he took over as caretaker following the latter’s dismissal and led the Foxes to two victories in two games, departing the King Power Stadium at the end of the season having spent the remainder of the campaign working alongside Claude Puel.

This preceded a return to West Brom, working as First Team Coach to James Shan until the end of the 2018/19 season as well as a brief period in charge of the Under-23’s, before returning to management when he was appointed at League One side Lincoln City, who were newly promoted at the time. Replacing Danny Cowley in the dugout, Appleton spent three years at Sincil Bank, before returning to Blackpool to replace Neil Critchley, who opted to join Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa.

However, Appleton lasted just seven months in the role, and after a few months followed at Charlton Athletic, he joined Shrewsbury in March 2025 as interim Head Coach with the club 14 points from safety. Despite being unable to guide Salop to survival though, he was still awarded with a new two-year deal to become their permanent Head Coach.

Photo Credit: Shrewsbury Town Football Club

One to Watch

Sam Clucas

Ball-playing midfielder Sam Clucas will bring much expertise to the Shrewsbury team in the centre of the park, having racked up 66 Premier League appearances and over 200 Championship games to his name, as well as over 100 combined League One and League Two outings.

A left winger turned central midfielder, Clucas began his career in the Leicester City academy, spending six years in the youth setup before a brief period in the Central Midlands Football League with Nettleham.

Despite being released from the Foxes for being too short, Clucas continued to graft during his early years and was offered a soccer scholarship in the United States, though he opted to sign for Lincoln City ahead of the 2009/20 campaign after a successful trial with his hometown club, spending a season with Lincoln before being handed a two-year scholarship at the Glenn Hoddle Academy, enabling him to turn out 20 times for Spanish Tercera División side Jerez Industrial.

After returning to England, Clucas made the switch to Hereford United, and his form for the Bulls saw him earn a move into the Football League with spells at Mansfield Town and Chesterfield, which preceded his continued rise up the pyramid that culminated in a move to Championship side Hull City. He went on to play a key role in the Tigers’ promotion-winning campaign to earn an instant return to the Premier League.

Further stints at Swansea City, Stoke City and Rotherham United saw him establish his pedigree towards the upper echelons of English football, before returning to non-league for the first time in 16 years with a brief move to Oldham Athletic last term. He spent just a few months at Boundary Park before spending the rest of the season back at Lincoln, and was followed by his move to Shrewsbury in the summer, featuring more than any other player so far alongside John Marquis, with 22 appearances.

Photo Credit: Shrewsbury Town Football Club

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Last Time Out

Michael Appleton’s side had a fourth consecutive home win snatched away late on against Gillingham.

Shrewsbury started with a fire in their bellies against the former boss, and they took the lead within a few minutes as a long throw from Sam Stubbs was flicked to the feet of Antony Scully by Tom Anderson. The Irishman then took aim, with his shot colliding off George Lloyd’s ankles and into the back of the net with just 11 minutes on the clock.

Salop doubled their lead soon after when Luca Hoole leapt highest to win the ball on the right wing before collecting his own knock-down, before turning Robbie McKenzie inside-out before blasting the ball past Jake Turner in the 23rd minute.

After what had been an outstanding first half-hour, the visitors managed to rescue a lifeline when Seb Palmer-Houlden’s header hit Stubbs and flew in shortly before the break, but Salop responded by restoring their two-goal advantage before the half was out, as Scully won the ball in midfield and played an inch-perfect ball through to Lloyd, who arrowed the ball across Turner with venom to reinstate Shrewsbury’s cushion in added time.

A significantly quieter second half came to pass, and it took 20 minutes for the next action as Stubbs was judged to have fouled Josh Andrews in the box, and McKenzie stepped up to halve Town’s advantage from the spot.

However, the visitors managed to draw level late on as Elliott Nevitt headed home to ensure the points were shared.

Photo Credit: Shrewsbury Town Football Club