Bolton Wanderers v Shrewsbury Town - opposition preview ahead of League One clash

AHEAD of Saturday’s clash with Shrewsbury, Marc Iles caught up with Lewis Cox from the Shropshire Star to get the lowdown on the Shrews.

The Whites enter the game in high spirits following a stunning 4-1 win at Charlton on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, the Shrews find themselves in 21st place after picking up eight points from their opening 10 matches.

Shrewsbury have had a tough start to the campaign. What have you made of it?

League One seems to be growing in stature every season, certainly with some of the big names in the division. But teams like Shrewsbury, Wycombe Wanderers and Burton Albion can compete as they have proved in recent years, and that is what Steve Cotterill is trying to do.

It hasn’t been great so far but there are signs they have turned a corner in the last handful of games. On Saturday they got a big win which moved the out of the bottom four. They are searching for that run of results that will kick-start the season.

Steve Cotterill spent several months away from football last season due to Covid-19. How has that affected the squad?

Personally, I don’t think anything that has happened in the season so far is because of that. The manager will admit himself that he isn’t 100 percent, he isn’t fully recovered. That could take months and years really and he has got a long road ahead of him. But he has certainly thrown himself into the job and is doing all he can.

He has got a good team with him including former Wanderers striker Aaron Wilbraham, who effectively became manager last season. Shrewsbury did well to survive really. It is really difficult without a manager, not just on matchday but throughout the week, and they got the job done with time to spare.

And how have fans reacted to the Shrews’ summer transfer business?

It has been a big transition, which was always going to happen with it being Cotterill’s first summer since taking charge. There were 12 or 13 players out of contract and he let them all go bar striker Daniel Udoh.

They brought a number in but perhaps not enough in the eyes of some supporters. The squad is quite light in places and the manager has said he wanted to bring in a couple more signings.

How is former Wanderers midfielder Josh Vela getting on?

He has been very good. It is nearly two years since he joined from Hibernian where I don’t think he had a good six months. He came in and was a bit of a high-profile signing at the time, having played in the Championship.

Last season, he was named player of the year and was a deserved winner. His pressing is just relentless and he seems to have come into his own at Shrewsbury.

And finally, what is your score prediction?

Shrewsbury seem to perform better against the better sides, they will not just come and defend. I think Bolton might edge it but it wouldn’t surprise me if Town get a point. I’ll say 2-1 to Bolton.

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