Shane Cansdell-Sherriff insists the Shrewsbury Town squad are desperate to halt their miserable run of results to ease the pressure building on boss Paul Simpson.
Town head to Crewe Alexandra on Saturday on the back of six straight defeats, a dispiriting run in which their only goal was scored by Torquay’s Chris Zebroski who turned the ball into his own net during last weekend’s defeat at Plainmoor.
Simpson has outlined his desire to turn the club’s fortunes around and defender Cansdell-Sherriff says the Prostar Stadium players are determined to gain a positive result to stop the rot.
Town are languishing in 12th spot, nine points adrift of the play-offs with just six games to go.
“The manager’s trying everything he can to get us right and you do feel for him because we’re the ones that go out on the park each game,” said the Australian. “He can’t stop us from letting the ball go into the back of our net and he can’t score a goal for us. I’m sure he would if he could.
“He’s preparing us right and trying everything, whether it’s diet, training, whatever. But it’s just up to us. We’ve got to get that positive feeling in ourselves and have belief in our ability like we’ve had before and take that onto the pitch.
“The best way we can do that is by attitude and not giving up – and while there’s a chance of us making the play-offs, we’re not going to give up at all.”
Town have struggled at both ends of the pitch in recent weeks, with Cansdell-Sherriff as perplexed as anyone just where the slump originated given Shrewsbury were well placed and looking upwards not too long ago.
“Where this run has come from, I just don’t know, but these things escalate and every sort of mistake we’re making, teams are jumping on it,” he said. “We’re also not getting a little bit of luck that we may need.
“We’re not a million miles off it. It just maybe needs that one goal for Dave Hibbert and it will change the strikers’ outlook, the same with Cureton, Robbo, or whoever’s up front. Just that one goal and it might break the ice.
“Defensively, we need to be stronger and stop letting in silly goals. We were a lot tighter at the back against Notts County on Monday and I think all round we defended better as a team, rather than just the back four.”
Town now hope a much needed revival begins this weekend as they prepare for their first trip to Gresty Road since November 1996 when a Crewe side containing future internationals Danny Murphy and Robbie Savage cruised to a 5-1 win, an Ian Stevens goal the only highlight for Shrewsbury.
“Crewe have had a few goals knocked past them recently and hopefully we can do the same,” added Cansdell-Sherriff, who is refusing to write off Town’s play-off hopes.
“Never say never,” added the ex-Tranmere man. “We have to just carry on and make things right. The players who haven’t been in spells like this before have to learn to get out of it. It’s important as a team that we come through it and finish on a high, not just for us, but for the crowd, the staff and everyone who works each day to get the club right.”
Crewe, three places and five points below Town, are likely to have Steve Phillips, the man who so impressed while on loan at the Prostar earlier this season, in goal.
Town follow up their trip to Crewe by hosting struggling Cheltenham on Tuesday (7.45pm).
By Stuart Dunn