Top scorer Grant Holt believes Shrewsbury Town have to raise their game to remain on track for promotion as they prepare for Saturday’s trip to Wembley-bound Luton.
Holt admits Town were not at their best in beating Chester 1-0 at the Prostar Stadium on Tuesday night, a result which lifted them to fourth in the table, and stressed an improvement is necessary to keep them on course for a top three spot. “There’s got to be more to come,” said Holt.
“If we don’t get more then we won’t get promoted, that’s fact, and that’s the whole aim of our dressing room, the staff and the board upstairs. If we do anything less, we’ve failed.
“We’ve got Luton next and it’s a tough place to go, especially the way we’ve been playing away from home. We’ve got to raise our game.”
Holt knows it’s imperative Town put together a run of victories as many of their rivals have games in hand.
“It’s very close at the top,” he said. “The next couple of games we go to Luton, who are down at the bottom, and Macclesfield, and then we’ve got Exeter at home after that.
“At the same time everyone else at the top is playing each other and now we’ve got to capitalise. We’ve got to try and get a third win in a row and start pushing higher.
Impressive
“We’re due a run but they’re not gimmes. The only way you get wins is by working hard as a team and we’ve got to start doing that. We weren’t great against Chester on Tuesday, a bit sloppy in patches, but we got the points and we’ve got to drive on.”
Holt, League Two’s top scorer, admitted he was disappointed not to add to his impressive 22-goal haul against Chester, but stressed the result was more important than anything else.
“It was a big win, we knew we had to get back-to-back wins, and that’s what we’ve got,” said the former Nottingham Forest hitman. “I’m disappointed every game I come off without getting a goal. There were a couple of chances I should have scored but I’m due a few misses.
“I’ve been fortunate the last 20-odd games that they’ve gone in. Tuesday was one of those things. I’ll shrug it off, the chances have gone, and that’s life really.”
It was left to Richard Walker, a half time replacement for ankle injury victim Nick Chadwick, to sink Chester as the on-loan Bristol Rovers man enhanced his claims to partner Holt from the start at Kenilworth Road.
“I was delighted for Walks,” added Holt. “He was lively and sometimes it’s hard to get into the game, but he started off brightly and played well.”
Luton are sure to be on a high after beating Brighton on penalties to book a Wembley appearance against Scunthorpe in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final.
But time is running out for Mick Harford’s side to save their Football League place as the Hatters, who are expected to include ex-Town on loan midfielder Asa Hall, remain 21 points adrift of safety.