Shrewsbury Town manager Gareth Ainsworth has warned his squad not to rest on their laurels as they prepare to host Blackpool at the Croud Meadow tonight.
The 51-year-old replaced Paul Hurst in the hot seat last month with the Shrews sitting 23rd in League One. It culminated following a dreadful run of form which saw the Shropshire-based side win just once in 12 games in all competitions.
Ainsworth was brought in for his first managerial role since departing Queens Park Rangers in October 2023 but faced a steep task in his opening game. Promotion favourites Birmingham City were the visitors, but despite enjoying just 20% possession, they pulled off arguably the shock of the season so far to win 3-2.
Having exited the FA Cup at the first round stage to Salford City last month, Shrewsbury had last weekend off. This has given Ainsworth extra time to prepare his side for the visit of Blackpool, who ironically lost to Birmingham in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Ainsworth Refusing To Get Carried Away
Ainsworth’s immediate impact at Shrewsbury has given supporters a renewed belief that they can escape the drop this season. However, the former Wycombe Wanderers boss knows that the hard work is still ahead of him and has urged his players to build on their last result. Speaking to official club media, he said:
“One game doesn’t make a season, and we know we need to get plenty of messages into these boys – I want good people and good footballers, it’s really important to me to have both.
“It’s not just about the football, it’s about the people as well, and that’s because that’s just the way I work.
“We’ve been working really hard on the identity of the club, and what we are, and what we are striving towards. There’s no way you sit back and think ‘we’ve cracked it now.’
“It’s going to be a tough season, we’ve got some tough fixtures coming up, including Wednesday.
“Blackpool are obviously on a run of games and have played a lot lately, but sometimes that can go in you favour because you’re match fit all of the time.
“It’s going to be a big follow up from what was a fantastic performance against Birmingham.”
Writer’s View
It’s premature to say that Ainsworth has turned things around at Shrewsbury. However, to beat arguably the best team in the league is no mean feat and shows that Shrewsbury are capable of moving up the table. Still, they were second best for much of that encounter and tonight’s clash against Blackpool will likely see them spend large chunks of the game without the ball. If they can avoid defeat, that can take that momentum into Saturday’s crucial relegation six-pointer with Cambridge United.
