Bernard McNally: Cup clash could offer Shrewsbury Town fringe stars a chance

It was an absolutely terrific shot from Marcus Maddison which condemned Paul Hurst’s side to a 1-0 loss at Peterborough United.

Naturally, they will be disappointed that the streak has finished, but going the whole season without a defeat would have been a miracle.

Of course, it has been done before – Arsenal’s invicibles of the 2003/04 campaign – but that was never the aim for Hurst.

His target, first and foremost, is to get 50 points – and then see where they end up.

The players can hold their heads high, they will still be confident and upbeat on the training pitch – and why not?

They have proved their quality and it will take more than one defeat to break their spirit.

This weekend, turning their attention to the FA Cup first-round tie against Aldershot Town at the Montgomery Waters Meadow, it is a good distraction and a welcome break from league action.

It will be far from easy against the Shots though. They may be a non-league side, but they cannot be looked past and Town will be punished if they let any complacency creep in.

The game is a chance for a few of Salop’s fringe players to come in and impress – the likes of Bryn Morris, Arthur Gnahoua and Lenell John-Lewis.

Another one who is looking to stake a claim is Omar Beckles, following left-back Junior Brown being ruled out for the rest of the season with a cruciate ligament injury.

For Junior, it is such a shame. He was having such a terrific season – his best in a blue and amber shirt.

His defensive work has improved immensely under Paul and he can overlap, burst forward, and chip in with goals.

Before, I thought his defensive work was lacking. But being under Paul, who was a full-back himself, he has really come on.

As he goes out, there is an opportunity for Omar to stake his claim.

He is a lad who came in for a six-figure fee who we are yet to see much of. That speaks volumes of how the Town defence has been performing so far this term, they have been solid.

I am looking forward to seeing Omar in action and James Bolton, at right-back, has been great since coming in from Gateshead – he has impressed me a lot recently.

He has been solid, not looked out of place at all, and is growing in confidence with each week that passes.

There are things he can work on, like getting forward more, but that will come with time and I feel he will be a key player for Town in the next 12 to18 months. Let’s hope they can bounce back straight away on Saturday.