Steve Cross's new Shrews diary

Shrewsbury 0-1 Staines Town

Former footballer Steve Cross provides analysis for Shrewsbury Town matches

I felt sorry for Paul Simpson on Saturday. It's the loneliest job in the world standing on the touchline, when the players you have picked let you down.

After last week's performance at Notts County, the players should have been brimming with confidence.

Instead, apart from Paul Murray, it was an appalling display against a Staines team who sensed an upset, and went about their job with a professionalism that should have come from the League Two team.

True the Shrews were missing their loan players and Dean Holden, who has been a rock in defence over the last couple of months. But the players who came in will have no argument whatsoever, if they found themselves on the outside looking in next week.

The stigma of a defeat from a non-league team for the second year on the trot, will be hard to shake off, both for the manager and players. But with two home games coming up, the players will have the chance to win back the fans who quite rightly booed the team off the field.

Good luck to Staines, they thoroughly deserved their victory, and will be looking to go further in the competition. Whoever they face had better be at the races, or they will go the same way as the Shrews.

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Notts County 1-1 Shrewsbury

Whatever you think about Sven Goran Eriksson the guy has a certain aura about him.

Grown men, and yes I mean you Stuart Dunn, were as excited as kids on Christmas morning when the press box was informed that the former England manager would be giving an interview in the press box before the game.

Dunny got his photo with the Swede (funny you just happen to have your camera Stuart), who then disappeared through the crowd with a majestic wave.

The publicity surrounding Eriksson's appointment has certainly given the league's oldest club a boost, but unfortunately this didn't get through to the County players as the Shrews tore into the home side with a brand of football that comes with having fit, confident players.

Notts County 1-1 Shrewsbury

Dave Hibbert proved what an asset he is to the team, his probing runs along with Fairhurst always kept the County defence on the back foot. Dean Holden had his best game in a Town shirt, and all the other players should be 7 out of 10 in the Sunday papers.

Having controlled most of the game, a single lapse of concentration allowed County to sneak an undeserved point.

Former Town boy Ben Davies was pretty anonymous over 90 minutes and the renewed confidence in the Town saw the players depart the ground disappointed with only a point and not all three.

A breather from the league next week with the magic of the FA Cup... but it is only magic if you go through. Staines should be dealt with quite efficiently, but I hope the agony of the debacle at Blythe last year is still etched in the Shrews players' minds.

We don't want another Saturday like that.

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Shrewsbury 3-1 Aldershot

Paul Simpson and Rafa Benitez were both under a bit of pressure this weekend. The gulf in status obvious, but the pressure to win matches becomes paramount when you're both in a sticky spell.

Injuries to key players, combined with poor results, made the Aldershot game a proverbial six pointer on Saturday even at this stage of the season.

The Shrews started the game like they had finished at Accrington, low on confidence and disjointed as a team, and fell behind to a fourth-minute goal.

The game could have been over as a contest if Aldershot had taken two glorious opportunities just after, when Town's back four couldn't cope with the opposition's slick passing around the eighteen yard box.

Aldershot's world fell apart just before half time when bustling loanee Fairhurst found the corner of the net to level, and Shots defender Winfield put his face into Lewis Neal's (to compare facial growth I presume) leaving the ref no option but to red card him.

His stupidity allowed Shrewsbury the numerical advantage, and Neal curled a stunner into the top corner to make it 2-1, and the confidence in the players rose tenfold.

Elder scored to silence the boo-boys, and with Devitt the other loanee becoming more prominent as the game went on, the players looked back to their normal team ethic by the end of 90 minutes.

At last Town have competition for places. Notts County will be a tough one next week, but with Hibbert and Robinson back, we can approach the game with renewed confidence.

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Darlington 2-1 Shrewsbury

With injuries decimating Paul Simpson's side over the last few weeks, the manager has had to introduce several of his younger professionals into the squad.

I am sure at the start of the season the plan was to ease one or two into the side via substitution appearances and the JP trophy cup.

The problem with "blooding" young players is finding the right time and game to do it.

The ideal situation is when the team are on a good run and the majority of the players are full of confidence.

Young Harry Hooman was presented with his chance against Darlington on Saturday , replacing suspended skipper Coughlan, but unfortunately for the promising youngster he was let down by the senior pro's around him.

I thought he had a decent debut, but with several regulars having below-par games Darlington took advantage to gain their first win of the season.

The JP cup game at Accrington on Tuesday will see several more young pro's getting their chance to impress the manager.

I would hope that the players who did not perform on Saturday will get the chance to make amends in this game.

Two or three should be busting a gut, and I think the manager found out more about certain players on Saturday than he had previously.

Young pro's need to be nurtured or you can destroy their confidence, and I am sure that the manager will be scouring the loans market this week to try and bring some experience into the club to help the young players in their careers - and to get some results.

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Shrewsbury 0-1 Port Vale

The football league should take some responsibility for the appointment of the match official, Mr Bratt, for Saturday's game.

Didn't they do their homework?

Local rivals and last season's volatile fixture made a valid case for a strong referee.

What we got was an official who ended up in a Graham Poll moment by sending off Dean Holden for two innocuous infringements, then calling the same player back to the field.

This overshadowed a good game of football between two committed teams, played at a frantic pace, but one that didn't suit the Shrews.

Their passing style was broken up by a physical Port Vale side intent in dominating the game.

Going one nil down in injury time in the first half was a set back, but losing skipper Graham Coughlan midway through the second half to another blunder by Mr Bratt made it seem like an up-hill struggle for the Shrews.

But, as in most ten-men-scenarios, the Shrews got second wind and pushed Vale all the way.

The only worrying thing for me is if Hibbert and Robinson don't perform - where are the goals going to come from?

Big game at Darlington on Saturday, with a new manager and expectant home fans, but with Joss Labadie back, I expect Town to click into gear again.

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Shrewsbury 3-0 Northampton

I know I am sometimes accused of wearing blue and amber glasses when watching the Shrews, but even the most biased of fans will tell you the best team lost on Saturday. Northampton dominated for long periods of the game, without ever threatening the Shrews goal.

A common denominator in the victory for the Shrews and more importantly the clean sheets has been goalkeeper Steve Phillips. The keeper on-loan from Bristol Rovers was a strong contender for man of the match on The Verdict after the game.

It's no coincidence that Town's back four have looked stronger as a unit with Phillips between the posts.

Now comes the big problem. If Shrewsbury sign Phillips, they will have four senior keepers on their books, a chairman's nightmare. Somebody will have to go. Garner is a long term injury, Neal has done nothing wrong and Arestidou is just inexperienced.

Some decisions shape a club's season - this could be one of them. Over to you Mr Chairman