The last chapter had everything, didn’t it? Shock victories, even more surprising defeats, an orderly Brexit, a transfer-listing… and even some excitement in the Pointless Trophy! Believe me, though, when I say that we’re just getting started!
November and December 2019 will be jam-packed with games, as Shrewsbury Town open up their FA Cup campaign before setting out to maintain their lofty position in League One. There will also be a mid-season report, where I assess our strengths and weaknesses ahead of the winter transfer window.
LOAN REPORT
I’ll start this chapter by looking at some of the Shrewsbury youngsters currently out on loan in the National League. Goalkeeper Cameron Gregory wasn’t having the best of seasons, having shipped 25 goals already for rock-bottom York. Christos Shelis had also struggled in Macclesfield’s defence thus far, while John McAtee was finding goals quite hard to come by at Gateshead.
On the plus side, Hartlepool were top of the table, thanks in no small part to Zak Jules and Ryan Barnett. Jules’ tackling had contributed to a strong defensive record, while Barnett had been very productive in midfield early in the campaign, though his form had recently dipped. However, one Shrews youngster had been particularly impressive in the fifth tier:
Ryan Sears towered over the rest of the National League’s hot talents in October. Some outstanding performances from the Welsh right-back had helped Chesterfield to climb up the table and mount a promotion challenge.
Sears currently has an average rating of 7.23 in 13 league appearances for the Spireites. He’s also developing quite nicely, especially physically, though my suspicions that he’s too good for non-league football are coming true. I might recall Ryan in January with a view to loaning him out to a League Two club, if not integrating him into our first-team straight away.
And who’s that Aldershot newgen you see there? That’s Jack North – a 16-year-old midfield playmaker who had bags of energy and technical ability, not to mention international honours with England Under-20s. Also, he hadn’t yet signed a professional contract with Aldershot. I sent one of my top scouts to properly assess him, because he looked – as Barry Davies would say – interesting, very interesting!
Let’s now crack on with November, which started with an FA Cup Round 1 tie at home to National League North mid-tablers Boston. The Pilgrims needed a replay and a penalty shoot-out to knock out Solihull Moors from the division above in the final qualifying round. Surely we’d have too much for them?
SHREWSBURY TOWN vs BOSTON UNITED (FA Cup, Round 1)
Just before this match, Sullay Kaikai asked me why he wasn’t starting regularly. The truth of the matter was that the talented inside-forward hadn’t performed anywhere near like what he was capable of. I challenged him to prove his worth over the next few games – and boy did he do that in our FA Cup opener!
Kaikai broke the deadlock 33 minutes into a tense match by heading in a free-kick from Charlie Colkett, claiming his first Shrews goal since returning to New Meadow. Boston had defended bravely and stubbornly up until then, but when Sullay scored again from an Alex Gilliead cross early in the second half, they looked broken.
Then we started to show complacency. In the 58th minute, our defenders lost track of Boston’s ex-Wales winger Arron Davies, who duly buried an incisive cross from left-back Quade Taylor. Thankfully, the Pilgrims never came close to scoring again and potentially forcing a replay at their newly-built Community Stadium.
We secured a 3-1 win – and a place in Round 2 – in the penultimate minute. Gilliead drove an excellent ball over the United defence, and Lifumpa Mwandwe made no mistake when one-on-one with the keeper. Fumpa found the net again in injury time but was flagged offside – not that it really mattered, of course.
We would also be at home in Round 2, having been drawn to host Fleetwood on 30 November. Funnily enough, we were already set to welcome Joey Barton’s Cod Army back to New Meadow in the league on the prior weekend! Our next home fixture, though, was in another cup competition…
SHREWSBURY TOWN vs ACCRINGTON STANLEY (EFL Trophy, North Group H – Match 3)
Here’s the sit-rep going into our final Pointless Trophy group match. We were 2nd place on 3 points, ahead of Salford on goal difference, and behind Everton Under-23s by a couple of points. Our final opponents Accrington were bottom with just one point to their credit.
If we beat Accrington within 90 minutes, we were through to Round 2. If we lost within 90 minutes, we were out. If it came down to penalties, our fate would partially hinge on how Salford got on against Everton.
The first half of this match was all Shrewsbury, as we battered Accrington from pillar to post. Left-back Ryan Haynes struck the crossbar in the 40th minute, but target man Aaron Amadi-Holloway had better luck two minutes later. Gilliead cushioned Danny Redmond‘s left-wing delivery across the visitors’ box for Amadi-Holloway to put us 1-0 up.
Accrington goalkeeper Fran Dorronsoro later turned into ‘SuperFran’, producing some blinding saves to stop us pulling further clear in the second half. Then, after 75 minutes, I committed one of FM’s cardinal sins – by trying to sit on a narrow lead. Replacing the 4-4-2 system with the more conservative 4-1-4-1 invited undue pressure on ourselves.
When right-back James Bolton weakly headed the ball to Accrington forward Billy Kee in the 87th minute, the Lancastrians sensed their chance. Kee crossed to substitute Kevin O’Hara, who powered in an equaliser. Stanley had developed a knack for scoring late goals at New Meadow, and they got yet another in injury time when Callum Johnson’s right-wing cross was converted by 18-year-old sub Niall Watson.
And so we were out of the Pointless Trophy. For what it was worth, Salford lost on penalties to group winners Everton Under-23s after a 1-1 draw at Moor Lane, which meant the group finished like this:
You know what really sickens me? If we hadn’t conceded that injury-time winner, we would have qualified ahead of Salford, regardless of how our penalty shoot-out went.
Pah… I never liked this competition anyway. Alexander Armstrong can go shove his poxy Pointless Trophy up his own backside for all I care!
This next match was also the first I played with the new 19.3 update. We entered The Valley to visit Charlton, who were battling relegation and now under the management of ex-Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth. I’d won all three of my previous encounters with Ainsworth, which boded well.
CHARLTON ATHLETIC vs SHREWSBURY TOWN (League One, Match 18)
Kids and grown-ups may love him so, but I was unhappy with Joe Aribo. Charlton’s energetic midfielder put smiles on home fans’ faces after 14 minutes, when he pounced on a sloppy header from Brendan Galloway and drove it home.
Fortunately, Lee Angol equalised in the 35th minute, heading a Kane Wilson cross in off the bar. It helped that Addicks keeper Cameron Dawson did the mannequin challenge as the ball bounced across his line. Our defenders were looking statuesque come stoppage time, when Charlton’s Belgian striker Jessy Gálvez y López burst through to fire his team into a 2-1 lead.
A combination of my stern half-time team-talk and some horrendous goalkeeping helped us turn things around midway through the second period. Dawson was up the proverbial creek when he mindlessly charged from his line to try and claim a throw-in from Galloway, which our vice-captain David Edwards drove into an unguarded net. A minute later, Edwards turned provider for Kaikai, whose drive put us 3-2 ahead.
By the 78th minute, the Addicks were feeling like they’d been done up like a kipper. Redmond’s free-kick from the right had their defenders all fooled, and the faintest of touches off Angol’s knee turned it past Dawson. Lee’s first brace since August moved him on to 11 goals for the season and kept us flying high in 2nd, behind Bolton.
Following that thrilling victory, a delighted Roland Wycherley offered me a new contract and a hefty pay rise. The chairman would only give me one additional season, but that extra £700 per week should help keep the wolves from my door if times get tough.
SHREWSBURY TOWN vs FLEETWOOD TOWN (League One, Match 19)
I think it was Homer (the ancient Greek poet, not the American cartoon dad) who once wrote, “I actually despise the whole of that firm, mentally deficient, turn up at the opening of an envelope, fame hungry, prized b***bags.” Coincidentally, I told Craig Brewster something along those lines about our team after they collapsed against Joey Barton’s Fleetwood.
And to think it was all going swimmingly for us after just five minutes. Wilson’s efficiency from corners produced another Angoal for Lee, bring up his season’s dozen. Wilson could have provided another corner assist in the 16th minute, but Howkins’ header from that delivery was caught by Fleetwood goalkeeper Alex Cairns.
We wasted several more chances to go 2-0 up, and those misses would be punished two minutes before half-time. Freddie Woodman was not his usual authoritative self in the Shrews goal, and when he parried a deep cross from Town right-back Tennai Watson, he left Chris Long with a simple finish. The 24-year-old Liverpudlian’s volley levelled the scores, and we were shellshocked.
We continued to let the Cod Army off the hook in the second half, and by the 84th minute, it was obvious we’d had our chips. Conor McAleny – a former Everton youth team-mate of Long’s – had sent Fleetwood ahead two minutes before then by finishing midfielder Grant Leadbitter’s deep lofted free-kick. Another Leadbitter set-piece soon made it 3-1, as defender Alfie Jones’ flick-on from his corner provided Long with his 10th goal of the campaign.
Another home defeat was now a formality, though Angol could’ve restored some pride in injury time. Sadly, our penalty king fired this spot-kick too close to Cairns, after Amadi-Holloway had been fouled by Watson. 3-1 to Fleetwood was how it stayed, and with Scunthorpe having beaten Peterborough 3-0, the Iron bumped us out of the automatic promotion places.
YEOVIL TOWN vs SHREWSBURY TOWN (League One, Match 20)
If it wasn’t obvious already that we had serious problems, then it certainly was after we were humbled at Huish Park by struggling Yeovil. This was another forgettable afternoon for our hitherto reliable number 1. Woodman never regained his confidence after being beaten by Mikael Ndjoli in the 14th minute, the on-loan Bournemouth winger having powered in an excellent pass from Rakeem Harper.
While opposite number Steven Benda was stopping Shrewsbury shots left, right and centre, Woodman’s afternoon worsened early in the second half. Yeovil midfielder Jake Gray chipped a 30-yard shot against the crossbar, and the ball deflected off the back of our goalie’s hand and into the net for an own goal. Football Manager physics, everybody!
We pulled one goal back on 74 minutes, with Rafa Mir getting a clean and clinical headed connection to Haynes’ cross. Benda denied Angol an equaliser five minutes later, before we threw a potential comeback opportunity away. After Yeovil forward Jordan Green was pushed by Galloway, ex-Poland defender Mariusz Pawelec drove in the penalty which consigned us to back-to-back 3-1 losses.
In the space of four days, we’d gone from sitting in 2nd place to falling four points adrift of the automatic promotion spots. As if that wasn’t worrying enough, December would begin with us facing Fleetwood again, this time in the FA Cup.
SHREWSBURY TOWN vs FLEETWOOD TOWN (FA Cup, Round 2)
Erm… at least we didn’t lose! We looked slightly more potent going forward, with team leaders Edwards and Omar Beckles drawing a couple of early saves out of Cairns. Three of Angol’s efforts were also stopped by Cairns, who made arguably his best save in the 30th minute, palming a powerful effort away while somewhat unsteady on his feet.
While our performance levels dropped off in the second half, Fleetwood’s crept up. Fortunately, our backup goalie Jack Bonham was in good nick, thwarting Kyle Dempsey and Long on his way to keeping a first Salop clean sheet. It could have been dirtied in the 89th minute, but Adrian Popa’s outswinging corner was nodded over the bar by Ashley Eastham.
Having failed to secure victory at New Meadow in front of the TV cameras, we would soon have to renew acquaintances with the Cod Army at Highbury Stadium. A Round 3 tie at home to Nottingham Forest awaited the winners. Before that, though, we had another home game in the league – against 5th-placed Coventry, who would be just a single point behind us if they prolonged our recent wretched form.
SHREWSBURY TOWN vs COVENTRY CITY (League One, Match 21)
To misquote Coventry fan and former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys, we “smashed it”. We swiftly attacked our fellow Midlanders, with Tosin Adarabioyo hitting their crossbar after just three minutes. Four minutes later, Mir picked up an intelligent pass from Colkett and brilliantly dribbled past a couple of defenders before drilling in our opening goal.
Our charge was briefly hampered in the 28th minute, when Mwandwe’s second league start was cut short by a knee ligament injury. Seven minutes after Fumpa was replaced up front with Fejiri Okenabirhie, though, we were in control. Tom Bayliss’ trip on Mir gave us a free-kick 25 yards from goal, but the distance didn’t faze Colkett, who curled the ball over the wall and into the net!
That should’ve sent us into the break 2-0 up… but then Coventry pulled one goal back just before half-time. An unconvincing clearance from Wilson was picked up by Sky Blues midfielder Abu Ogogo, who squirmed a shot underneath Bonham’s dive. Jack’s hopes of a clean sheet on his first league start for Salop had been dashed.
That reality check spurred us back to life. When Coventry right-back Jonathan Grounds grounded Mir in the area 10 minutes after the restart, Edwards had the chance to put us 3-1 ahead from the spot. His strike sent goalkeeper Lee Burge the wrong way, and we never looked back from that point.
We later compounded Coventry’s pain with two great, late counter-attacking moves. The first saw Arthur Gnahoua hammer in a searching pass from Mir. Rafa could have been named ‘man of the match’, but Dave took the honours instead after scoring a second goal in stoppage time. He confidently finished from Redmond’s through-ball to complete a resounding 5-1 win.
FLEETWOOD TOWN vs SHREWSBURY TOWN (FA Cup, Round 2 Replay)
Before our FA Cup replay at Fleetwood, Barton tweeted me to say: “I’m currently in optimum shape Nicebutdim @Fuller_FM hope you’ve been training hard. #tallyho” Truly, not even Muhammad Ali could have delivered such eloquent fighting talk.
And just like many of Ali’s opponents, we were emphatically knocked out. In retrospect, asking Bryn Morris to lead us into the ‘ring’ as captain was not the smartest move I’ve ever made. More significantly, we were impotent, one-dimensional and lacking confidence against a team which had bags of it.
The first half was as entertaining as watching paint dry, but the second brought more excitement for the Fleetwood faithful. The decisive moment came just five minutes after the restart, when our old nemesis Long beat Salop defender Kyle Howkins to a long ball up the right flank from Dean Marney. After taking a moment to control the ball, Long cut it past Bonham from a difficult angle.
I experimented with a new 4-2-3-1 system for the final half-hour in a bid to turn the tie around, but we still offered up very little going forward. Aside from catching a long-range hit-and-hoper from the fit-again Ollie Norburn, Cairns had very little work to do in the Fleetwood goal. The Cod Army progressed to a Round 3 meeting with Nottingham Forest, and we were left with only league matters to concentrate on this season.
BRISTOL ROVERS vs SHREWSBURY TOWN (League One, Match 22)
This was the first of three successive matches against teams in the relegation zone. Our return to the Memorial Stadium – where we turned a 3-2 lead to a 4-3 loss in the final minute last season – was as fun as a trip to the dentist’s.
Bristol Rovers forward Kyle Bennett proverbially pulled a tooth out in the 25th minute, exchanging long balls with right-back Jack Grimmer before heading home. Jack was feeling rather grimmer shortly before half-time, as Angol beat the Scotsman to a cross from Mir and nodded it past Adam Smith to draw level.
The Pirates went back on the attack barely two minutes into the second half, when Grimmer evaded a slide tackle from Galloway and put a dangerous ball into the mix. Bennett struck it with so much power and precision that Woodman never stood a chance. 2-1 Rovers.
The rest of the match was a tense affair, and despite throwing away so many chances, we never truly gave up hope that we could pull something back. Our persistence paid off with only a few seconds remaining, as Angol knocked Norburn’s hopeful cross beyond a flailing Smith, salvaging a 2-2 draw.
Unfortunately, we suffered our worst injury of the season a few days later. Redmond broke his upper arm in training and needed to see a specialist. That was the left-winger done until February.
SHREWSBURY TOWN vs PORT VALE (League One, Match 23)
Quick! Somebody tell the ‘Football Manager Games’ sub-Reddit! I’m sure they’ll LOVE this – once they’ve got tired of their Peep Show and Pikachu memes, obviously!
While we weren’t exactly dreadful against Port Vale, we still made one of the worst defences in League One look like an Otto Rehhagel tribute act. Vale goalkeeper Stephen Bywater saved eight of our 25 shots, with Angol and Mir being denied thrice apiece. More worryingly, 12 shots failed to hit the target, with another five being blocked.
In terms of controlling the game, we fared very well, keeping 55% possession and completing 85% of our passes. However, I’m a man of results, not aesthetics, and there was no excuse for this sorry show. Aside from wing-backs Galloway and Wilson, none of our players looked like they had any idea how to unlock a truly Valiant defence.
After failing to take maximum points on home soil once again, we were hard at work on the training ground for our Boxing Day meeting with Rotherham – even on Christmas Day. Surely, then, we couldn’t serve up another turkey?
SHREWSBURY TOWN vs ROTHERHAM UNITED (League One, Match 24)
Ho, ho, OH YES WE COULD! Statistically, we were perhaps slightly better against Rotherham than we were against Port Vale. We still fired too many blanks for my liking, but Dean Henderson still needed to make his fair share of saves in the Millers’ goal.
Defensively, we rode our luck more than a few times in the opening period. Right-winger Jon Taylor – who started his career at New Meadow – hit the woodwork at either end of the first half, while Welsh left-back Declan John flicked a late header against the bar. However, Rotherham – who’d taken one point from their last four games – would see their luck turn just before the hour mark.
Nathan Thomas sent a deep free-kick into our penalty area, where centre-back Jimmy Dunne strolled through our defence and headed in the opening goal. We never regained our composure after that, and we conceded again in remarkably similar circumstances. Thomas free-kick, defence falls asleep, Dunne header, 2-0, we lose at home again. Grr.
We dropped to 5th position after that loss, and the alarm bells were ringing loud and clear in Shropshire. Another poor result at the KCOM Stadium against Hull would potentially see us end 2019 out of the play-off places.
HULL CITY vs SHREWSBURY TOWN (League One, Match 25)
After such a miserable display against our previous Yorkshire opponents, I angrily demanded an improved performance in the East Riding. The signs looked promising after 23 minutes, when Mir half-volleyed a shot that George Long – who conceded five goals when we last played Hull – brilliantly pushed wide.
Three minutes later, we found ourselves at the Tigers’ mercy. Adarabioyo couldn’t clear a touchline cross from Hull left-back Damien McCrory, which allowed winger David Milinkovic to volley in the opener. Milinkovic was denied a second just before half-time by Woodman, but our situation remained precarious.
Then, on 61 minutes, Angol once again rode to our rescue. Edwards hoisted a long ball through the rain and up to our striker, who burst past his marker Jordy de Wijs and delicately chipped the ball into the net. Lee’s 15th Angoal this term (his fourth against Hull) helped us claim a draw, though not before Woodman made two heroic saves to stop Yves Baraye from claiming a late victory for City.
MID-SEASON REVIEW & TRANSFER PLANS
We’ve hardly ever been out of the top six since I became manager, but my worst run of results yet will see us finish 2019 in 7th place, behind Fleetwood on goals scored.
Our form was a bit rocky at this stage last season as well, so I’m staying positive. As the board’s expectations are still simply for us to finish in the top half, I won’t be fearing for my job unless this blip becomes something more serious.
My 4-1-4-1 is a sound, counter-attacking tactic that seems to be effective on our travels, and at home to other strong sides. Unfortunately, it’s not worked particularly well when we host weaker, more defensive teams who can restrict our attackers’ space and hit us on the break. That perhaps explains why we have been – to borrow an overused term – ‘FMed’ more than once.
The 4-2-3-1 system I’ve been trialing in the second halves of some of our matches will get a proper debut next month. Adopting a more direct approach, and replacing the defensive midfielder with an attacking one, should hopefully give our forwards a bit more service. Unfortunately, I’ll have to put the 4-4-2 alternative on the backburner while Redmond is out injured.
Defensively, we’ve looked pretty good, particularly where the loanees are concerned. Adarabioyo has been a revelation at centre-half, proving time and again why he’s far too good for League One. Galloway and Wilson are both maturing as wing-backs, with the latter looking particularly lively. And while his recent dip in form has been a concern, Woodman has kept nine clean sheets so far and looks like a goalkeeper I’d love to sign permanently.
Up front, we seem to be a little too reliant on Angol, whose 15 goals have put him 2nd on League One’s Golden Boot standings, behind Milton Keynes striker Chuks Aneke. Southend are the only top-eight side who’ve found the net less often than us. If that stat is to change, we need to see more productivity from our other attackers, especially the likes of Kaikai and Gilliead out wide.
Now let’s talk transfers. I’ve potentially got £250,000 to spend in the January window, though that could increase if I can get shot of the notoriously-slack Norburn. I’d ideally like to recoup most of the £300,000 we paid Tranmere for Ollie 18 months ago. Signing a direct replacement is not a major concern, because I’m content with having Morris, Anthony Grant and Josh Laurent as defensive midfield options.
I also want rid of Robbie Muirhead, who has been hands-down my most pointless signing on FM19 so far. First-choice target man Amadi-Holloway barely sees much action as it is, and Muirhead is of even less use to us. After six underwhelming substitute appearances, I’d be prepared to at least loan the 23-year-old Scotsman out if I can’t get his wages off the bill permanently.
Mir has not really hit the heights on the right wing, so I might return him to Wolves if I can sign a good, young permanent replacement. Otherwise, I’m only planning to buy new players if we sell any existing squad members. Gnahoua, Laurent and Okenabirhie have all attracted interest from other clubs, so I could cash in on them six months before their contracts expire and bring in some fresh blood.
Actually… I’ve already made one new signing. We first came across him right at the start of this chapter.
Yes, it’s that central midfield starlet from Aldershot! You’ll get your first proper look at Jack North in the next chapter, but believe me – he is worth the hype.
I’ll be back early next week for the latest installment of my Shrewsbury adventure. In the meantime, feel free to let me know your thoughts on how the first half of this season has gone. You can leave a comment below, or alternatively, you can tweet me @Fuller_FM.
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