Match Preview | Shrewsbury Town v Latics

A closer look into Saturday’s game as Latics travel to face Shrewsbury Town in Sky Bet League One

• Match Preview | Shrewsbury Town v Latics
• A closer look into Saturday’s game at Montgomery Waters Meadow
• Leam Richardson’s side will be aiming to seal promotion to the Sky Bet Championship

Wigan Athletic will travel to face Shrewsbury Town in their final game of the 2021/22 Sky Bet League One campaign on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 12:30pm).

Despite falling to a 3-2 defeat at Portsmouth in midweek, Latics will arrive at Montgomery Waters Meadow knowing that a victory would be enough to clinch promotion to the Championship as champions of League One.

Shrewsbury Town, on the other hand, will come into the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat at Charlton Athletic last weekend. Currently sitting in 17th place, the Salop are currently winless in their last five matches, with their last victory coming against Lincoln City at the end of March.

FORM GUIDE - LAST SIX IN ALL COMPETITIONS

Latics: WDLDDL

Shrewsbury Town: WLDLDL

THEIR SEASON SO FAR | SHREWSBURY TOWN

Currently sitting in 17th place, Shrewsbury Town will be hoping that they can sign off the 2021/22 Sky Bet League One campaign with a victory tomorrow afternoon. 

After surviving relegation with 54 points last term, the Shrews retained their League One status with four games to spare following an outstanding away victory at now Championship side Blackpool.

It was very much a job well done at Montgomery Waters Meadow for boss Steve Cotterill and assistant coaches Aaron Wilbraham and David Longwell, and the Shrews recruited well during the summer to target another successful campaign in their seventh consecutive season in the third tier. Versatile former Blackburn Rovers man Elliott Bennett, forward Ryan Bowman and returning loan defender Matthew Pennington are three signings that have naturally caught the eye throughout the season given their previous experience in the EFL. 

Cotterill’s side endured a difficult start to the 2021/22 campaign, though their form has improved as the season has progressed. October was a particularly productive month for Salop, having earned invaluable victories over MK Dons and Cambridge United.

Starting November with a 5-1 victory at Stratford Town to progress to the second round of the Emirates FA Cup, Shrewsbury fell to consecutive defeats against Latics in the Papa John’s Trophy and Cheltenham Town, before battling to a 1-1 draw against Sunderland. Shrewsbury then left it late to claim a 1-0 home victory over in-form side Charlton Athletic at the end of the month.

They began December with back-to-back defeats against Latics and Doncaster, though their fortunes quickly changed as they earned consecutive wins over Cheltenham Town and Fleetwood Town before earning a goalless draw against Accrington Town in their final fixture of the calendar year.

The Shrews made an excellent start to 2022 after overcoming Sheffield Wednesday at Montgomery Waters Meadow before battling to come away with a point at Crewe Alexandra. They then fell to a narrow home defeat against Bolton Wanderers before recording four successive draws between the end of January and the start of February.

Their unbeaten run came to an end following a spirited defeat at Plymouth Argyle, and despite succumbing to a further loss against Portsmouth, they ended February strongly with a 2-0 victory at Burton Albion.

March turned out to be an outstanding month for Cotterill’s side as they lost just once in six games, recording impressive victories against Morecambe, Rotherham United and Lincoln City in the process. 

April has, however, proven to be challenging as they have obtained just two points from their last five games ahead of the visit of Leam Richardson’s side on Saturday afternoon. Currently sitting 10 points above the relegation zone in 17th place, Salop will be hoping to crown an impressive season with a victory.

CONNECTIONS 

There are currently three connections between the two sides, with Callum Lang most memorably having spent a loan spell with Salop in the 2019/20 Sky Bet League One campaign, scoring three goals in 16 league appearances. 

Latics forward Stephen Humphrys will also potentially be lining up against his former club on Wednesday evening. After coming through the Academy at Fulham, Humphrys enjoyed his first loan spell away from Craven Cottage in Shropshire, making 14 league appearances for Salop in 2016/17. 

Another product of the Wigan Athletic Academy, Shrewsbury Town goalkeeper Marko Marosi could be in contention to face his former side tomorrow afternoon.

HEAD TO HEAD | THE ROUND-UP

Latics and Shrewsbury Town have met 23 times in senior competitions since their first-ever encounter in the FA Cup in 1974, with eight victories for Latics, four wins for Shrewsbury, and eight draws. 

Latics’ biggest ever victory over Salop was in April 2016 after a superb away performance secured an impressive 5-1 victory at the Montgomery Waters Meadow thanks to goals from Conor McAleny, Yanic Wildschut, Jason Pearce and Will Grigg (2). 

The last league meeting between the two sides took place in December last year, with a stunning late strike from Thelo Aasgaard securing a 2-1 win for Latics at the DW Stadium, as seen below.

HEAD TO HEAD | CLASSIC MEETING

FA Cup First Round Replay | Monday 25 November 1974 

LATICS 2 

SHREWSBURY 1 

LATICS EARN MEMORABLE FA CUP WIN OVER SHREWSBURY TOWN 

It was a day to remember as Wigan Athletic claimed another Football League scalp in the FA Cup and their first-ever victory over Shrewsbury Town in November 1974. 

After Brian Tiler’s side produced a superb performance at Gay Meadow to earn a replay, Latics welcomed Salop to Springfield Park looking to secure their passage into the next round of the oldest national football competition in the world. The strong wind and lashing rain did not deter the fans as almost 12,000 supporters were in attendance for the FA Cup encounter. 

It was always going to be a daunting task against a Shrewsbury side who were unbeaten on the road in all competitions, and the visitors did in fact open the scoring when Ray Haywood hit a stunning shot that sailed into the top corner. 

The home side’s spirit was not dampened after conceding, and Latics showed excellent grit and determination to drive forward at every given opportunity during the second period. The introduction of Albert Jackson proved to be a game-changer as his rampaging style immediately caused the Shrews problems. 

Latics finally got the goal that their pressure warranted in the 75th minute and it was certainly one that was worth waiting for. Tommy Gore, known for his long-range shooting, scored another one of his trademark thunderbolts to send the home fans into delirium at Springfield Park. 

After already losing Tommy Garrett, Latics suffered a further injury to Scottish defender Billy Sutherland, unfortunately leaving Tiler’s side down to ten men for the final stages. Despite having a numerical disadvantage, substitute Jackson popped up with a dramatic late winner to send Latics deservedly through to the next round. 

Latics: Reeves, Morris, Sutherland, Gore, Molyneux, Gillibrand, Garrett (Jackson), Worswick, Rogers, King, Wright. 

Shrewsbury Town:  Mulhearn, King, Calloway, Durban, Kearney, Cochrane, Irvine, Tarbuck, Haywood, Bates, Morris.