|
We were again on the riverside pitch for the mornings game and it had thankfully dried out a little since the Macclesfield game. There was also the figure of 1st team manager Eddie Howe on the far touchline, taking on a watching brief after a rare home double header had given him an ideal opportunity to see the lads in competitive match action.
The first chance of the game fell to Burnley as lone front man Joe Jackson spun off his man and was felled close to the corner of the box. It was in a perfect position for McKee and the dead ball specialist stepped up and fired an effort on goal, only to see it tipped over by the keeper.
Following the chance Shrewsbury stepped up the pace and left the young Clarets looking second best for long periods. The visitors seemed more tuned in and up for the game, constantly pressing the ball and giving us no time and space to play. After fifteen minutes we found ourselves behind from a somewhat shanked clearance from Woodhead that was lofted back into an open net by the Shrewsbury forward.
Despite the visitors having the upper hand their work wasn't giving them any real chances. In fact the next clear cut opening didn't come until the half hour mark. A neat 1-2 between Taylor and full-back Curtis Woods saw the Irishman released down the wing. His cross was hit goalwards by Jackson on a looping volley but there was just too little power behind it and the keeper gathered.
The second half saw a marked improvement from the Clarets and truthfully we were the only team in it. We were the team doing the pressing and our ball retention was hugely improved. Around 10 minutes in we looked to be on the verge of making a double substitution, but held off as a long passing move took off. It ended with Ross Wilson floating a cross over to the far post where Taylor rose to head home on his return.
The substitution was momentarily delayed but did happen ten minutes later as Taylor and Archie Love were replaced by Shay McCartan and Steven Hewitt. The visitors did have one half chance as another clearance was hammered back towards goal but this time drifted wide. We had a couple of long shots which were gratefully grasped by the Shrewsbury keeper with Jackson sniffing around for a spillage.
Our possession finally paid off with 5 minutes left. A perfectly lofted deep free kick from McKee found the head of big Tom Anderson at the far post. His header looked like it may have been going in but Jackson and his goalscoring instincts made sure as he dived to head in from close range.
A poor first half followed by a much stronger second gave us the win we needed to climb to the top of the table and we know that dependent on results yesterday it could well be in our hands to stay there.
Team:- Ben Woodhead, Curtis Woods, Ed Williams, Alex Coleman, Tom Anderson, Dave Lynch, Archie Love (Steven Hewitt), Joe McKee, Ross Wilson, James Taylor (Shay McCartan), Joe Jackson.
Subs not used:- Josh Cook, Dean Overson, Aryn Williams.