Promising Signs From City’s Young Guns: Shrewsbury 1-1 Imps

Jake Hesketh came off just before half time, meaning another new boy Zack Elbouzedi got a full half of football. It wasn’t ideal but Zack is an out and out wide player which I felt would help us in the second half. What would really help us, more than anything, was an early goal and within a few minutes of the restart we were level.

Again, there are no complaints about the foul are there? It was mindless, a rare moment of stupidity which gave us a foothold back in the fixture. I wondered, as Tyler strode up to the ball, how many of our fans remembered missed penalties against Ipswich and Sunderland? Seconds later, as the Forest loanee’s 15th goal of the season and his fifth in four games rippled the back of the net, those misses seemed a long way away. 1-1, game on.

I thought after that, Shrewsbury’s fans turned a little. Not their vocal support, they were good and perhaps the loudest home supporters we’ve witnessed this season (safe standing anyone?). The general mood seemed to change though, I got it listening to the radio and on iFollow as well. That entitlement seems to weigh heavy on their shoulders and it wasn’t helped by a resurgent and exciting Lincoln side suddenly upping the ante significantly.

At the back, we still needed to be alert and Cian Bolger looked more assured than ever at the back. It didn’t feel like the calamitous defence from a week ago, not one bit. Instead, we took a step back and the anticipation was spot on. Maybe if Shrewsbury had more threat in the forward areas it would have been a different story, but they didn’t and it wasn’t.

I have to take a moment to mention Jorge Grant here I think. When we signed Grant I know many were excited to get the player we’d seen tear up League Two with Notts County, but we also had warnings ringing in our ears from Mansfield and Luton fans about attitude. I read words like ‘lazy’, ‘not committed’ and ‘poor attitude’. How wrong they were. Jorge Grant is the one player I feel has thrived the most under Michael Appleton; he looks motivated and able to fill a number of roles. There’s little doubt he’s technically excellent as well and perhaps his arrival in the summer really was more important than that of Jack Payne. Whilst the former Huddersfield man is struggling to make an impression, Grant has established himself as a firm feature in the first XI.

It was Grant who strode forward and drove a super effort at goal on the hour mark, only for O’Leary to save. It was Grant’s delivery from the corner which found Jason Shackell to hammer the bar moments later. Okay, Grant’s effort on 70 minutes troubled air traffic control, but he’s willing to shoot from distance now. That fear we had of rattling off a shot in the early part of the season has gone, certainly from Jorge Grant.

We seemed to have total control for the bulk of the second half and when John-Jules came off for big John, I felt we added a fresh dimension. The Arsenal loanee certainly had a decent debut, but John suddenly gave us a different option and he put himself about well. Even after the switch we poured forward, Tyler Walker’s effort was blocked for a corner, Neal Eardley drew yet another save from O’Leary who had to be their Man of the Match. They still had a threat in them but, when they did finally get a corner, big John was back and clearing. All for one, one for all.

As they did at Sincil Bank, Shrewsbury found their second wind with ten minutes to spare and this pulsating contest swung their way once again. We showed that same character as we did in the first half, although I wouldn’t say they looked as likely to score in the final ten of the second period as they had 45 minutes earlier. Vickers had a simple save to make from a late overhead kick, simple in terms of it being straight at him but with the conditions perhaps better than it looked. All afternoon, our stopper had claimed crosses in swirling winds which I think deserve more plaudits. Those conditions can often catch a keeper off guard but Josh was right on it all afternoon. another player putting the Sunderland nightmare behind him.

We ended the game with a chance or two, Grant’s whipped free kick drawing yet another save from O’Leary before a tactical head injury eased the final bit of pressure as we loaded the box for a corner. The whistle brought the curtain down on a 1-1 draw but (and you know I try to see things from both sides) I felt we perhaps deserved all three points. The shots ratio was 10 each, but we managed five on target to their two and I felt the sharpness in our attack warranted another one. It’s not a bad point, especially not when you consider it’s the first time they’ve dropped anything from a winning position.

After the game, Michael Appleton spoke highly of Jorge Grant who was my Man of the Match. I know Thommo gave it to Harry Toffolo but for me, Grant just edged it and it seemed our boss was similarly impressed.

“I thought he was the pick of the bunch in the second half, the composure he showed was outstanding, he was very competitive today,” he told the Imps’ official site.

“He made good decisions, he knew when to turn the opposition, and he has shown maturity today. Everyone has played their part, they all stuck to their strengths and we got to see Conor (Coventry) and his passing ability today. Tyreece (John-Jules) is going to be a footballer and I am looking forward to working with him.”