Shrewsbury 2-2 Fleetwood: Goal Of The Season Found In Mid-Table Dead Rubber

Credit: Thomas McAtee

With all the drama across the Football League in the penultimate weekend of the season, you’d be right to question why a mid-table clash between League Two sides that are in no danger of promotion or relegation is the match I’ve chosen to highlight this week. Shrewsbury and Fleetwood are actually the only two sides across the EFL that I’ve yet to cover in either a match report or a preview all year and, with them playing each other as the season draws to a close, it felt like the perfect time to give them their turn in the spotlight. Don’t worry, I’ll cover all the action and potential for heartbreak and jubilation this coming weekend after the midweek fixtures conclude. For now, Shrewsbury and Fleetwood take centre stage. 

Shrewsbury began the campaign in horrendous fashion, with just one win in their first eleven games. Back-to-back relegations into non-league became a real possibility, which was unthinkable after a ten year stint in League One, and could’ve been disastrous for the club in so many ways. Michael Appleton made it all the way until the 27th of January before he was dismissed in the wake of a 1-0 defeat to Cambridge, with Shrewsbury sat just two points outside the relegation zone and sinking fast. The Shrews turned to then Brackley boss Gavin Cowan to be their saviour, much to the dismay of their supporters, but he has defied all expectations on their way to a comfortable survival. A run of five consecutive victories saw him win the League Two manager of the month award for February, and his side have continued to cruise to safety from there. In fact, had Shrewsbury accumulated points all season at the rate that they have under Cowan, they’d be sat in 10th. Not a bad turnaround for a widely-derided managerial appointment. The Shrews have an exciting young squad interspersed with the necessary experience at this level, and with some smart summer recruitment I wouldn’t be surprised to see them back knocking on the door of the third tier once again.

Their visitors this weekend were Fleetwood Town, who themselves had been in League One as recently as two seasons ago. They finished 14th on 60 points last time out and, should they lose on the final day to already-promoted MK Dons, will finish 15th with 60 points this year. It’s not exhilarating, but it’s far from the slippery slope of dropping back into non-league. You just wonder if they’re capable of more. They currently sit with a record of 15-15-15 and a -1 goal difference, officially the most average side in the Football League, but is being the fourth tier’s answer to Preston North End where Fleetwood should realistically be aiming? They’re coming off the back of a decade in League One that saw them reach the play-offs twice, even finishing just four points from automatic promotion in 2017. They lingered in-and-around mid-table for a lot of their time in the third tier before they began flirting seriously with relegation, eventually succumbing to the drop in 2023. Nobody would argue that Fleetwood are a huge club, but if teams like Burton can sustain themselves at that level, why shouldn’t the Cod Army be up there with them? Their squad isn’t completely devoid of talent, but there seems to be little ambition from the ownership to invest in another promotion push. The feel like one of those sides that are a good window away from challenging for the play-offs, and a bad one from having to face a relegation battle. But, then again, so do most teams at this level. 

The majority of the EFL are on a financial knife-edge, with many teams hiding, or completely oblivious to, the extent to which they are close to total collapse. To make big transfer moves at the level is always a risk, and one that you may end up paying for with your life, can either of these sides be bold and take that next big step in summer towards their League One returns? With their fourth tier status secured with plenty of time to spare, work will have already begun to build the Shrewsbury and Fleetwood teams of tomorrow. Let’s hope, for their fans’ sakes, they’re capable of producing better than we saw this weekend.

Shrewsbury’s whole season seemed to be encapsulated in this performance. It was in no means a classic, they looked dead and buried at one point, and they left it late, but in the end they earned a hard-fought result. It took until five minutes from the break for anything of note to happen at all, and it was Fleetwood opening the scoring in the scrappiest way imaginable. Forward Will Davies rattled the crossbar with a headed effort following a fantastic cross that Elliot Bonds managed to dig out of nowhere, and the ball dropped to Manchester United loanee Ethan Ennis. The young attacker managed to bring the ball down under pressure from the Shrewsbury defence, before scuffing his cut-back into Shrews’ Taylor Perry, who could only stand and watch it trickle into his own net.

Assisting own goals doesn’t count as a proper assist, so Ennis made sure he took his official tally up to 8 for the season just before the hour mark. He received a pass on the halfway line and marched into acres of space in front of him. Despite three defenders crowding around him, and the fact that he is one of the most accomplished crossers of the ball in the division, nobody in blue and yellow elected to close him down. The defence continued to back off until he had managed to advance all the way to the edge of the area. Ennis took this as an invitation and lifted the ball perfectly over the Shrewsbury backline and onto the foot of the onrushing Crispin McLean at the back post, who gratefully turned in his second career goal. 2-0 down with half an hour to play, Shrewsbury looked to be seeing their final home game of the season out with a whimper. 

If there’s thing we’ve learned in 25/26, however, it’s not to write off Shrewsbury Town. In another display of lacklustre defensive work, Iwan Morgan’s corner was delivered into the box without being met by a head from either team, instead dropping to the floor in the middle of the melee. Substitute Josh Ruffels reacted fastest to rifle in his second Shrewsbury goal and half the deficit with 18 minutes left to play. Even though they had nothing to play for in terms of league position, the Shrewsbury players owed their fans a show of gratitude for sticking by them through their horror-start.

If you’re going to wave goodbye to an underwhelming season at home, you might as well do it by scoring the goal of the season. In the sixth minute of added time, Shrewsbury bent a free-kick into the box that was easily dealt with by the defence and cleared away along the ground. Arsenal loanee Ismael Kabia was there to meet it for Shrewsbury 30 yards from goal. In any normal game, you’d probably recycle possession. Get the ball back out wide for a cross, play it safe, and just make sure you don’t give it away. But this isn’t any normal game, it’s the last day of the season. The teachers have put a film on, there’s a pack of cocktail sausages in the middle of the table, and everyone’s ready to draw a line under a season to forget in Shropshire, so why not just hit it?

Kabia stepped onto the ball perfectly and, first time, drove an inch-perfect shot through the crowd of bodies and into the top-right corner. 0.01 xG for all my nerds out there. Simply, a fantastic goal, and a fantastic way to round out the season at New Meadow. A sign of renewed hope for those Shrewsbury fans, and the promise of better things to come next year.

Shrewsbury travel to Gillingham in an inconsequential game this weekend, and Fleetwood play host to a potential title celebration as MK Dons come to town. However those games play out, both sides will take time to reflect on a season of turbulent ups and downs, and hopefully both be ready to take on the challenge again next year with a renewed hope. Someone has to be promoted, why can’t it be these two?

Thanks to anyone that’s taken the time to read anything we’ve put out at Tipple this season, it really is appreciated. We hope you’re looking forward to a great end to the season, the drama of the play-offs, and are excited for what we have in store for this summer’s World Cup. We’re only just getting started.

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