Confusion as Shrews salvage the draw
SHREWSBURY Town manager Micky Mellon described his side’s injury-time equaliser against Scunthorpe United as ‘pulling a point out of the fire’ – even though he wasn’t sure of the rescuer!
The source of the goal was a tad confusing; with an in-swinging cross from Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro appearing to evade everybody on its way to nestling inside the far post, despite claims from Andy Mangan that he had applied a final touch.
It mattered little, with the only important aspect of the goal being that it secured a 2-2 draw, with seconds left to play. It rescued a point from a game in which the hosts had taken a lead and then been forced to take a back seat.
“I don’t know – I’ve seen the same as you,” said Mellon, when asked if he could clearup the identity of the goal scorer.
“I saw Jean-Louis sticking it in and a lot of bodies getting across it.We’re delighted to pull a point out of the fire at that moment.
“I wouldn’t say the overriding feeling was relief, it was fantastic fighting back from the lads after a second half in which we didn’t keep the ball as well as we did in the first.
“There was an awful lot of free-kicks went against us, ones I thought were 5050 decisions, but that allows Scunthorpe to deliver balls from wherever into our 18-yard box.”
Shrewsbury were the better side in the first half, but were handed their 21st-minute opener, when Sullay Kaikai hooked in from close range after goalkeeper Luke Daniels had failed to catch a corner. After the break, the Iron moved the ball around better and equalised when substitutes Luke Williams and Kyle Wootton combined, the latter finding the bottom corner.
They completed an impressive comeback nine minutes later, when Paddy Madden slotted in his 19th goal of the campaign after chasing down Matt Sadler’s backpass. It looked like being the winner, until Akpa Akpro whipped that hopeful ball into the box and, eventually, the back of the net. “It’s disappointing to concede in the last minute of injury-time, but that’s how long the game lasts,” said Scunthorpe boss Nick Daws.
“We did really well to come back from a goal down to a disappointing individual error, which Luke has taken full responsibility for.
“In possession in the first half I thought we were slightly off it, but when a team is playing direct it can sometimes be difficult to get the pressure on the ball.
“We solved that problem in the second half and fully deserved to take a 21 lead, but it’s frustrating to concede so late on.”