Just back from a weekend up there, a few random thoughts..
Anyone else notice how narrow they marked the pitch? There was a lot of grass on the outer side of both touch lines. Clearly a deliberate ploy, and a narrow pitch must make it more easier to defend.
Mous really was excellent. Cleverly played within his limitations and eased himself into the game, a couple of times he played safe and put the ball in the stands etc. I thought Shrewsbury were pretty average, but regardless to play that well with the amount of football he has played over the last couple of years was brilliant.
I called the 2nd Eastwood save when it happened. The ref gave it as a goal kick and hilariously you could see Eastwood wanted the credit for it but didn't want to give away a corner! The save from the header was top notch as well. I thought we looked a little iffy from corners, but Eastwood made a couple of saves that he really had no right to. Those saves were absolutely crucial in this game.
I don't think we played particularly well, partly due to the number of changes, and there were no real superstar performances. However there were glimpses of real quality - a great turn by McNally, the brilliant Kane pass for the shot on goal that led to the 1st goal, the calm finish by Taylor etc. Taylor took his goal well but had a relatively quiet game. We have to keep everything crossed that he stays fit and healthy, so much hinges on him. If we go 2 or 3 up in any games then he needs to come off, if any of the last couple of games are inconsequential then he needs resting / minimal minutes.
Walking back from the ground to the town centre I saw the hand bags incident. The lads I was with all heard the group singing Oxford songs, and our first thought was that it was great seeing a group of young fans travelling up and supporting the team. A lot of us have worried about a lack of younger fans coming through, be it real young'uns or teenagers. So fair play to them for coughing up the money for train tickets etc, and having a day out with their mates supporting the yellows. It really was nothing, a few young Shrewsbury fans had a pop and then quickly scarpered. The funniest thing was a copper chasing one of the Shrewsbury fans and giving up after 100 yards. Police fitness tests must not be up to much! We had a laugh with him when he walked back past us, the young Shrewsbury fan wasn't exactly athletic looking either!!
We hung around Shrewsbury for a few hours afterwards. Loads of nice old pubs, mixed with some newer looking bars. I know Shrewsbury quite well, but had forgotten what a nice place it was.
A crucial, solid but unspectacular win - just what was needed.