Shrewsbury Town are seven points from safety in League One heading into Saturday's gameweek 30 action against mid-table outfit Mansfield Town at New Meadow.
The Shrews fell to their 17th league defeat on Tuesday and the bottom-placed club, in danger of losing their third-tier status after a 10-year stay, aim to prevent an 18th against an opponent on a three-match losing sequence.
Match preview
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While Shrewsbury have mostly finished in the bottom half in League One since gaining promotion in 2015, Salop's status in the third tier has never been more threatened.
Tuesday's 1-0 defeat at Stockport County followed a marginal reverse at Charlton Athletic last week to see the 24th-placed side seven points from safety entering this weekend's round.
Although Gareth Ainsworth's men have been beaten 17 times this term — worse than every other League One club — recent results at New Meadow have been encouraging, with a shock 2-1 success over Wrexham in mid-January meaning Shrewsbury have notched seven points from the last available nine in Shropshire.
Avoiding defeat on Saturday could see the Town go four home matches without losing for the first time since March 2023 when they notched five consecutive victories in front of their supporters — beating Cambridge United (5-1), Forest Green Rovers (2-1), Port Vale (3-2), Wycombe Wanderers (2-0) and Morecambe (3-1).
A point or maximum points could see the Shrews leapfrog second-bottom Cambridge, but that outcome is contingent on the side above them falling to second-placed Wycombe Wanderers, with the cellar-dwellers just one point below in the standings.
Despite the wretched results this term, the home support will be optimistic of a third victory in four at New Meadow against a side they have defeated in three of the previous four meetings, albeit two of those wins came in their promotion season in 2014-15.
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However, Mansfield got the better of the Town in the pair's most recent match-up in September, a 2-1 win that ended the Stags' 16-year wait for success against Shrewsbury.
Although Nigel Clough's team enter the forthcoming gameweek after three successive losses, the promoted club have done commendably to be away from relegation danger, as evidenced by their 13-point gap from 21st-placed Burton Albion.
Regardless, Clough will hope to snap the three-match losing run in League One and four in all competitions when they travel to Shropshire this weekend, with a push for a top-six berth not mathematically impossible if they put a positive run together.
Seven points separate the mid-table outfit from in-form sixth-placed club Leyton Orient, who have claimed 13 points from the recent 15, although Mansfield have an outstanding game on the club occupying the final playoff spot.
However, the Nottinghamshire-based club cannot think too far ahead; the short-term ambition is to rectify the dip in performances and results that followed a run of four League One victories in five before the ongoing three-game losing sequence.
Team News
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Morgan Feeney could join Joshua Kayode on the sidelines after the centre-back was forced off against Stockport with a seeming injury.
John Marquis scored a brace in the Shrews' last home fixture against Wrexham, taking him to six league goals this term, and the top-scoring forward aims to add to his tally on Saturday.
Ben Quinn, doubtful for Mansfield's recent 1-0 defeat by Crawley Town, was absent on Tuesday and Adedeji Oshilaja could join the 20-year-old on the sidelines after the centre-back's 10th-minute withdrawal against Crawley.
Lee Gregory and Will Evans may have fired blanks in said 1-0 loss, but the pair have contributed 10 goals apiece this term — 59% of the away side's 34 goals — making them the undoubted attacking threats for the Nottinghamshire outfit.
Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Blackman; J. Feeney, Nsiala, Hoole; Gilliead, Gape, Ojo, Benning; Shipley; Lloyd, Marquis
Mansfield Town possible starting lineup:
Pym; Bowery, Flint, Cargill; Hewitt, Lewis, Reed, S. Quinn, McLaughlin; Evans, Gregory
We say: Shrewsbury Town 2-1 Mansfield Town
Although both clubs have suffered disappointing results heading into this weekend's fixture, Shrewsbury's three-game run without losing on home soil could become four at Mansfield's expense, with the bottom-placed side eking out a marginal success against mid-table opponents
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