Soaring Shrewsbury Town host out of sorts Ipswich Town

Shrewsbury Town will be looking to extend their impressive run under new management as they welcome a struggling Ipswich Town side to the Montgomery Waters Meadow on Saturday.

An impressive 2-1 victory over Sunderland on Tuesday made history for the Shrews – the best start under a management team in the club’s history. Since the arrival of Steve Cotterill and his backroom team, Town have accumulated 24 points from a possible 36, an impressive feat for the side who have banished any worry of relegation.

The Tractor Boys will no doubt be looking at this improvement green with envy, for the weekend’s visitors have been underperforming for a long time with their boss, Paul Lambert, under constant pressure from the Ipswich fan base.

The Suffolk-based side currently sit 11th in the League One standings, four points from the play-offs, but their recent form would suggest that the top six isn’t a likely destination for them. After picking up just four points from their last possible 15, Town fans’ restlessness is pretty justified.

Ipswich’s fall from the Championship into the third tier was expected to be a short-term dip; the quality of the squad and the size of the club suggested that they would be right up there challenging for promotion straight away. But this wasn’t to be for the Blues who now have seemed to fall into the rut of being an average League One side.

Seeing the impact a change in management can have on a side like Shrewsbury must make Ipswich fans wonder, ‘why can’t that happen to our club?’

The January transfer window allowed the Shrews to add to the impressive performances that were already being displayed and they certainly seized upon that opportunity. Harry Chapman, on loan from Blackburn Rovers, has scored four goals in his last four appearances, but stand-in boss Aaron Wilbraham will be sweating over his fitness as he will be facing a late check for his availability at the weekend.

Brad Walker, Aaron Pierre, and Matthew Pennington remain out for Salop, as they continue to recover from long-term injuries.

Ipswich have no fresh injury concerns from the midweek loss against Peterborough United. Cole Skuse and Kane Vincent-Young will again be missing for Town with their respective injuries.

All eyes will be on Troy Parrott to take this game by the scruff of the neck. Many neutrals were surprised with the Tractor Boys’ acquisition of the Tottenham Hotspur forward on loan as it is clear that he can play at the level above. With such expectation on his shoulders, he will certainly be one to watch this weekend. Parrott is one of the brightest prospects at Spurs at this moment, with mightily impressive performances for their academy sides and valuable minutes in the Championship with Millwall, this was certainly a coup for Lambert’s side.

With the potential absence of Chapman in the attack, Shaun Whalley could prove a key figure for Shrewsbury. The experienced forward plays a key part in the system of the new management and has grabbed five goals from 19 appearances this season. He is currently in his sixth season in Shropshire and has shown no let-up in his performances.

When the two sides met earlier this season at Portman Road, the home side triumphed with a narrow 2-1 victory, courtesy of a 97th-minute winner by Jack Lankester. Sam Ricketts was in charge of the Shrews for the game and his side had only triumphed once in the 10 games played at that stage of the season.

Despite league position, Shrewsbury’s resurgence should surely see them as favourites for this fixture, they’ve gone from being a clunky contraption to a well-oiled machine and should pounce on their stuttering visitors this weekend.

Lambert needs to get results and fast, otherwise, his future at Portman Road seems rather bleak.