Shrewsbury 2 Bolton 3: Wanderers come from behind to beat Town

Salop, who came into the game having taken seven points from the last nine available, and in red-hot home form, started the match brightly and led at the break through Vadaine Oliver. 

But the visitors substitutes made such a difference and once they pulled level through Eoin Toal, they added a second and a third via John McAtee. 

Town scored a late consolation in the 94th minute via Luca Hoole but fell to a 3-2 defeat. 

Report

Gareth Ainsworth made three changes to the team who picked up a point at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Tuesday. 

Funso Ojo, Vadaine Oliver and Alex Gilliead came back into the starting XI - while George Lloyd, Harrison Biggins and George Nurse dropped out of the side. 

And just like Town did in Berkshire in midweek, they started really positively back on home turf. 

Salop had a lot of the ball in the opening exchanges as they surprised everyone by switching to a back four. 

Wales under-21 international Luca Hoole had a bright opening, and he fired wide after a well-worked Town move. Mal Benning had crossed to him, but he could not get on top of the volley. 

Shrews' bright start was rewarded when Vadaine Oliver, a deadline-day arrival on loan from Bradford in League Two, scored his first goal for the club. 

It came after great work from Gilliead, who got to the byline and pulled it back to John Marquis. His header hit the bar, but Oliver was well-placed to nod home from close range. 

Town were dominant in the first 30 minutes, but the visitors, under newly appointed boss Steven Schumacher, regained their poise. 

John McAtee almost levelled the scores when his header from Aaron Collins' cross was brilliantly saved by Jamal Blackman. 

Taylor Perry has been superb for Shrewsbury off late, but he was withdrawn at the break with what looked like an injury. 

Salop ran out of steam in the second half and Bolton turned the game on its head with two goals in the space of four minutes. 

Firstly, Eoin Toal fired in from distance to draw the visitors level and then John McAtee placed one into the far corner to send the travelling Wanderers fans crazy behind the goal. 

Ainsworth went to his bench introducing Biggins and Callum Stewart but Shrews fell further behind when McAtee added his second of the afternoon. 

Toto Nsiala came on and played up front, while there was a debut for Ricardo Dinanga but Shrews were comfortably beaten in the end, despite Hoole netting a late consolation.

Teams 

Shrewsbury: Blackman, M Feeney, J Feeney, Benning, Hoole, Gape (Stewart 70), Gilliead (Dinanga 81), Perry (Shipley 45), Ojo, Marquis (Nsiala 81), Oliver (Biggins 70). 

Not used:  Savin, Nurse, 

Bolton: Southwood, Jones, Murphy, Johnston (Osei-Tutu 45), Forrester, Morley, Toal (c), Collins (Sheeham 63), Matete (Forino 88), Randall (Schon 63), McAtee (Adeboyejo 88).

Not used: Baxter, Dacres-Cogley.