Looking to boost their chances of avoiding fourth-tier football next season, Shrewsbury Town will welcome promotion-chasing Wrexham to The Croud Meadow on Thursday night in League One.
The Shrews are languishing near the foot of the third tier despite a change in the dugout recently, whilst the Red Dragons are hunting down three straight promotions in the Hollywood spotlight.
Match preview
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Since a shock 3-2 victory over title favourites Birmingham City during his first match, Gareth Ainsworth has faced the reality of the dire situation at Shrewsbury Town as they look to avoid relegation, with Thursday's hosts winning just one of their last eight League One contests.
Due to the postponement of their home clash with in-form Huddersfield Town on Saturday, the Shrews have been afforded nearly a fortnight to recover from an unsuccessful trip to Leyton Orient, where a second-half strike from Tottenham Hotspur loanee Jamie Donley won the day for the O's.
Enduring a three-game unbeaten streak ahead of the daunting visit of Wrexham on Thursday, Shrewsbury are currently occupying 22nd position in the League One standings, just three points above bottom side Burton Albion and eight points behind Bristol Rovers in the relative safety of 20th.
The Shropshire outfit will need to address their worrying home form if they wish to remain as a third-tier club into 2026, with Ainsworth's troops winning just three of their 12 matches at The Croud Meadow, whilst only Peterborough United (25) have conceded more goals at their respective base than the Shrews' 21.
That being said, both of Ainsworth's victories so far as Shrewsbury manager have arrived in front of their home faithful, including their most recent success on Boxing Day, when an early effort from defender Morgan Feeney was ultimately enough to beat mid-table dwellers Lincoln City.
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After back-to-back promotions from the National League to League One over the past two years, Wrexham are showing no signs of slowing up on their ascent to the upper echelons of English football, although it has not been plain sailing for the third-tier newcomers in 2024-25.
The Red Dragons, whilst unbeaten across 14 league contests in North Wales, are being hindered significantly by their less-than-ideal form on the road, with Phil Parkinson's men collecting just 13 of their 51 third-tier points from away matches, winning only three of 11 outings to date.
Nevertheless, Wrexham are still in a promising position as they look to join compatriots Swansea City and Cardiff City in the Championship next campaign, with Thursday's visitors sitting third in the League One table, level on points with managerless Wycombe Wanderers in second.
Parkinson's men have seen consecutive matches postponed over the past week due to the unpredictable British weather, meaning that the Red Dragons' most recent action arrived on January 4, when a late Steven Fletcher goal was enough to see off Peterborough at The Racecourse Ground.
A number of players who were initially lured down to a lower level by the romance and glamour of Wrexham's Hollywood environment are now delivering the goods in League One, including midfielder Elliot Lee, with the 30-year-old aiming to score at least 15 goals in three straight campaigns.
Team News
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Despite conceding at the home of Leyton Orient last time out, Shrewsbury are set to stick with a centre-back trio of Aaron Pierre, Josh Feeney and Morgan Feeney.
After drawing a blank in the capital, the Shrews could opt for some attacking alterations, with the likes of George Lloyd and Joshua Kayode pushing for starts.
Wrexham have a trio of experienced forward options battling for two spots at the focal point of the side, with Fletcher and Paul Mullin likely to get the nod ahead of Ollie Palmer.
There is also plenty of EFL knowhow on the flanks for the Red Dragons, with former Republic of Ireland international James McClean knocking on the door for a start.
Ex-West Bromwich Albion youngster Mo Faal provides a different option in reserve for Parkinson's men, with the striker yet to start a League One fixture since his summer switch from The Hawthorns.
Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Blackman; Hoole, M Feeney, J Feeney, Pierre, Benning; Bloxham, Castledine, Rossiter, Shipley; Lloyd
Wrexham possible starting lineup:
Okonkwo; Cleworth, O'Connell, O'Connor; Revan, Cannon, James, Rathbone, Mendy; Mullin, Fletcher
We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Wrexham
Winning just one of their last seven away matches across all competitions, promotion-chasing Wrexham are unlikely to cruise to victory at The Croud Meadow on Thursday night.
As shown by their antics against Birmingham in November, Ainsworth's Shrewsbury enjoy rising to the challenge of a top team, although we feel that they will fall short in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
