Victories over Cheltenham Town and Fleetwood Town, followed by a goalless draw against Accrington Stanley on Wednesday, mean it is seven points from the last nine available for Steve Cotterill’s side ahead of Sunday’s clash with Sheffield Wednesday.
Despite being on the back foot for large parts against another playoff-chasing side in the form of Stanley, Salop defended stubbornly and deserved their hard-fought point.
That draw leaves Shrewsbury in 16th place heading into the New Year, with a gap of six points now being opened up between themselves and Morecambe in the relegation places as a result of their recent upturn in form.
One win from their opening eight leagues this campaign had left Shrewsbury with a mountain to climb in the opening weeks, but if another positive result could be picked up on Sunday, Cotterill’s side could be set for a comfortable finish come May.
The League One outfit will also be keen to maintain the momentum ahead of their memorable trip to Anfield to face Liverpool in the FA Cup third round the following weekend.
As for the visitors, their 12-game unbeaten run in the league came to a crashing end on Thursday evening, as Darren Moore’s side were thrashed 5-0 at the Stadium of Light against the new league leaders Sunderland.
Although only five wins had been recorded during that spell, which is evidence to the fact that the Owls were still performing far from their best, few could have seen a disastrous result of that magnitude arriving in midweek.
With just three days between games though, Moore will have to pick his side up to go again and bounce back on Sunday against a side that frustrated them in a 1-1 draw at Hillsborough back in September.
Frustration has been the most common feeling for Wednesday and their supporters for much of this season, as their expected promotion push continues to falter and break down on every occasion it seems to begin gaining momentum.
As a result, Sunday’s visitors head to Shrewsbury in eighth place, with five points between themselves and Wycombe Wanderers in the final playoff spot as things stand.
Despite automatic promotion being the aim before a ball was kicked back in August, unless Moore can find the solution to his side’s consistency issues soon, even promotion via the playoffs seems highly doubtful
