John Askey delighted as Shrewsbury return to winning ways

Posted Sunday, October 07, 2018 by PA

Shrewsbury manager John Askey was a happy man after Alex Gilliead’s first goal for the club sealed a 1-0 victory over 10-man Accrington.

The visitors, beaten for the first time in League One since the opening day of the season, had goalkeeper Connor Ripley sent off in the 16th minute after colliding with home striker Lee Angol just outside the penalty area.

Shrewsbury eventually made their extra man count with a 62nd-minute breakthrough as winger Gilliead, a summer signing from Newcastle, headed home an inviting cross from the right by Shaun Whalley.

“We’ve been talking about the wide men getting in the box more when it’s on the opposite side of the pitch,” said Askey.

“Alex is a big lad and if he can get in the box more I’m sure he’ll get more headers. It was a great ball in by Shaun and a good header. I’m just pleased it went in.”

The victory was just a second of the season for Shrewsbury and lifted them up to 16th in the table.

“I’m happy with the three points,” added Askey. “It was hard work but it’s three points which obviously we badly needed.

“We should have scored more goals, but we’ll take the three points. It’s hard when you’ve not won, we’d only had the one win all season, I know we’d lost not many, but it’s difficult when you’ve not won.

“You sometimes lose the knack of how to do it and it becomes a little bit panicky when it doesn’t need to because of the situation.

“I thought we limited them to very few chances, which you should do, and created a lot ourselves.”

Accrington had started brightly with the lively Jordan Clark, facing his former club, twice going close in the early stages while Sam Finley’s low shot was well saved by Joel Coleman.

But then came the red card for goalkeeper Ripley.

Stanley manager John Coleman said: “What it did, it levelled the playing field because for the first 15 minutes we were breathtaking.

“We’d had five shots in the first seven minutes, couldn’t get the ball off us, and all it did is it made it an even game, 10 v 11.

“They had a lot of possession because they would do because they’d got the extra man but they didn’t really trouble our keeper.

“I’m disappointed with the goal because we gave the ball away and the lad’s come in with a free header at the far post.

“We’d defended well up to that point. What you can’t govern sometimes is circumstances will conspire against you. Sometimes they are out of your control. Today it was.”