SHREWS SUFFERING FROM ‘FEAR FACTOR’, SAYS BOSS AINSWORTH

By Stephen Marshall

SHREWSBURY T 0

SHREWSBURY: Blackman 6, Benning 7, Pierre 7, Feeney 7, Hoole 6, Biggins 6 (Gilliead 66, 5), Gape 6, Shipley 6 (Stewart 66, 5), Perry 6 (Ojo 66, 5), Wheeler 6, Lloyd 6 (Oliver 72, 6). Subs not used: Feeney, Nurse, Young.

BURTON ALBION 2

Burrell 72, Vancooten 86

Att: 5,807 Rating: ★★★★★ Ref: Declan Bourne 7/10

BURTON: Crocombe 7, Armer 7, Sweeney 7, Vancooten 8, Dodgson 7, McKiernan 7 (Chauke 73, 6), Lofthouse 7, Godwin-Malife 7, Webster 7 (Forde 88), Bodvarsson 6 (Bennett 31, 7), Burrell 7. Subs not used: Delap, Isted, Kalinauskas, Sraha.

SHREWSBURY Town boss Gareth Ainsworth believes there is a ‘fear factor’ in his players after they lost at home to Burton Albion.

The defeat sees the hosts cut adrift at the bottom of the league, with the Shropshire side now 14 points off safety. Their best chance came just

after half-time, but Jordan Shipley’s effort from outside the area whistled over the bar. Burton were clinical in the final 20 minutes, with Rumarn Burrell heading in from a corner, and Terence Vancooten was on target from close range.

“First of all, set-pieces again, we have conceded from two and for me that is criminal.” Ainsworth said. “It’s a big part of League One and Two set plays and you can’t win games if you don’t defend your set pieces, and we didn’t defend them in the last two or three games. There is a fear factor coming in now I can feel it in the boys, and I have to try and alleviate that.

“They are feeling the pressure I know that, and I can see it. Some of them have not been in this position as there are some young boys in there.

“I want to give them the message of no fear and good body language.”

The hosts worked the ball well to Dom Gape on the edge of the box on the half-hour, but his powerful shot got put behind for a corner.

Burton went close before half-time when Kyran Lofthouse stood up a cross to Burrell, but his effort went over the bar.

Burrell played a low-driven cross to Mason Bennett minutes later, but smashed his chance over the bar.

Just after the break, the ball broke to Jordan Shipley just outside the area and tried his luck, but his shot whistled over the bar.

The visitors broke the deadlock with under 20 minutes remaining when Burrell rose highest at the front post from a corner and headed in. Burton got a second late on through Vancooten after he poked in from close range.

Burton boss Gary Bowyer said: “It is never easy playing against one of Gareth’s teams. We had a magnificent away following who I felt really helped us second half with the noise they were making.

“First half was not a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but we had the best chance with Mason Bennett after he came on for Jon Dadi Bodvarsson.

“We recovered from that, and I thought Burrell was back to his best today.”