Score Bore: Imps 1-1 Shrewsbury Town

Credit Graham Burrell

The entire second half mirrored the end of the first. City maintained territorial dominance and continued to enjoy the majority of possession but lacked any real conviction. Shrewsbury sat deep, seemingly content with a point, which was baffling considering their perilous position near the bottom of the League One table. Given they needed a win to realistically keep survival hopes alive, their passivity was surprising—if not damning.

Despite their control, City failed to turn it into meaningful chances. The introduction of Ben House did inject some much-needed fight and forward drive. House’s bustling style gave the side renewed energy, and his pressing forced a few nervy moments from the Shrews’ defence. House even managed to create a bit of passion, sparking something that used to be described as ‘handbags’ but now probably should be ‘manbags’. It was perhaps one of three highlights the second half brought us, reflecting on the tempo and energy on the field as much as anything.

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Ethan Erhahon also returned from injury and reminded everyone why he’s so highly rated—calm on the ball, composed under pressure, and always two steps ahead. He looked a cut above, composed, able to manage the ball carefully and find passing lanes other players can’t. We’ve missed him, even if we don’t know it.

For all the control and a late flurry of half-chances, City could not find a winner. The final third quality just wasn’t there, and when set against the drudgery of Shrewsbury’s low block, it made for a flat spectacle. We did get a chance, one from a patient build up which some critics will forget because of the outcome. A crossfield pass from Tendayi ended up at Hackett’s feet. The former Portsmouth man didn’t have his best game, but he split Salop’s defence with a ball for House. His cross, right in front of the six-yard box, was impeccable, and it found Lewis Montsma with a completely open goal and only John Marquis on his back. The xG was 0.74, which is as good as a penalty, but Lewis scooped the ball over the bar, summing up our afternoon.

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A footnote worth mentioning was the league debut of young academy graduate Zane Okoro. Though he had little opportunity to make an impact, his appearance further highlights the club’s ongoing commitment to promoting from within—a pipeline that has already delivered the likes of Sean Roughan, Freddie Draper, and Jovon Makama.

Finally, the biggest cheer of the day was reserved not for a player, nor an official of either club, but for a former Rotherham United boss. As murmurs spread of Steve Evans’ surprise appearance in the 200 Club, speculation mounted over whether he was eyeing up a future role—perhaps even the one currently held by Michael Appleton, should Shrewsbury’s relegation be confirmed. He was spotted in his seats (that’s not a typo), and when he left, our supporters were engaged. As he disappeared down the tunnel to the bar, a chorus of ‘Steve Evans, you’re a wanker’ rang out, and like any good panto villain, he gave a wave to the jeering crowd on his way out.

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Late in the game, there was also a moment of comic frustration when the ball went out of play, and Michael Appleton signalled to bring on two substitutes. However, before the changes could be made, George Wickens rushed over to take a quick throw-in, much to Appleton’s fury. Our former boss was visibly incensed—one might even say apoplectic. Ultimately, it came to nothing, but the moment highlighted a growing sense of in-game savviness from the Imps—something not consistently seen since the days of Danny Cowley, and perhaps only sporadically under Mark Kennedy. It raised the question of whether this new edge has been deliberately developed or is simply emerging naturally as the team matures.

However, by full-time, the result felt more frustrating than disappointing, although it could be described as both. For City, the draw extended our run to one defeat in six (or nine points from six, 1.5 per game, averaging 69 over the season). For Shrewsbury, it felt like a resignation letter. Their lack of urgency spoke volumes—almost as if they had accepted their fate.

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I don’t feel concerned for next season, even if we have now taken a single point from two encounters against a side bottom of the League One budget table (or they were in the last one I saw at Christmas). Yesterday wasn’t reflective of where we are heading, but it did scrape away some of the gloss of recent weeks (Huddersfield and Bristol Rovers) and show that soft underbelly, that tendency to become passive and a little stifled. I’m not sure why it happens, and I am sure Michael Skubala will want to deal with it. Perhaps if we’d been closer to the top six, we’d be more gutted, or closer to the bottom four, we’d be more worried.

I do feel a bit sad that we probably won’t see Shrewsbury for a bit. They’ve been a staple of our fixture list since 2018, when we faced them in the EFL Trophy final, but they’re now essentially down, meaning it’ll be Burton Albion we have played most in recent seasons. Games against the Shrews aren’t usually classics, but they’re a decent club supported by fans I have a lot of time for, and I feel for them in their current plight. I’ll feel for them more if Evans really is posturing for the job there.

Credit Graham Burrell

As for us, this was a snapshot of a team in transition: youthful and talented but lacking the cutting edge to see off opponents who sit deep. With no Jovon, who does make things happen, we lacked a good attacking option late on. As the final four games of the season approach—Bolton, Stockport, Reading and Wrexham—there remains an open audition for several players hoping to be part of next year’s plans. They may need to do a little better than those auditioning yesterday.

As for the live show, we squeezed 35 minutes out of the game, which I think was a solid effort. Thank you to everyone who came – lots of people have said they didn’t know anything about it, but that would be because, until the last minute, we made it for Patreons only – they’re the people who give a couple of quid a month to the site to cover costs and expenses.

We were given the venue for free by Tension Twisted Realities, and we were lucky enough to have three former players attend – Gavin Gordon, Paul Ward and Matt Carmichael. Everyone had a great night (I think) which goes some way to erasing the memory of a fairly tough afternoon of football. We will be doing another live show, possibly later in the summer, again for Patreons of the site.

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