Salford City Vs Shrewsbury — Boyle winner hands Shrewsbury a 2-1 win as Joe Hart fills in

In the salford city vs shrewsbury fixture, Shrewsbury overturned a half-time deficit to win 2-1 at Salford, with Will Boyle’s 76th-minute finish sealing the visitors’ fifth win in a row and condemning Salford to a fifth straight defeat in all competitions. The match also featured Joe Hart filling in as Shrewsbury’s goalkeeper coach for the League Two fixture.

Salford City Vs Shrewsbury: Boyle seals the turnaround

Shrewsbury’s victory came after they trailed at the interval following a fortuitous opener for the hosts in stoppage time of the first half. The home side took the lead when Matthew Cox pushed a mis-hit Ryan Graydon volley against Luca Hoole and the ball rebounded into the net in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. Shrewsbury levelled six minutes after the break when Tom Sang picked out the bottom corner from the edge of the box after Josh Ruffels’ initial shot had been cleared off the line. The match winner arrived in the 76th minute when Will Boyle fired into the bottom corner to secure a 2-1 win at Salford.

Missed chances but a decisive finish

Salford began the contest brightly, with Ossama Ashley and Jorge Grant both coming close in the opening phases. Late in the second half, Josh Austerfield rattled the crossbar with a powerful header and Ben Woodburn had a volley cleared off the line for the home side, but Karl Robinson’s Salford team could not convert those chances and were made to rue them when Boyle struck to seal the result.

Hart steps into a coaching role

Former England and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart, who started his career in Salop, was helping his old club out by filling in as the club’s goalkeeper coach for the League Two fixture. He watched Gavin Cowan’s side overturn their half-time deficit as Shrewsbury extended their run to five straight victories under Cowan’s stewardship.

Form, context and the buildup to salford city vs shrewsbury

The match had been billed as important for Salford’s promotion hopes after they dropped out of the playoff positions. Salford had lost their last three games in the league and were coming off a 3-2 defeat to Cheltenham Town, which left them with four defeats in their last five. The Ammies had also lost their last three league games played on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday — as many midweek defeats as they had suffered in their previous 23 — and were aiming to avoid three home losses in a row, a run last seen in September 2023 after consecutive defeats at the Peninsula Stadium. Salford could take little comfort from the fact their only previous Football League meeting with Shrewsbury ended in a 3-1 win for the hosts.

Squad issues and manager progress

Squad availability had been an issue for both sides going into the fixture. Salford were missing Michael Rose, Jay Bird, Tom Edwards, Dan Chesters, Kallum Cesay and Ade Oluwo, none of whom were part of the squad that lost to Cheltenham. Kadeem Harris was replaced in the first half after going down injured, and concern had been noted about the fitness of his replacement, Daniel Udoh, who was withdrawn in the final minutes for Ben Woodburn. Salford were also without Luke Garbutt after his sending-off in the previous defeat.

Shrewsbury were carrying their own absences: Bradley Ihionvien remained in rehabilitation at the club following a layoff, and John Marquis was set to be out for four weeks. Sam Clucas had returned to the bench at the weekend after injury concerns, and Anthony Scully was being assessed after sustaining another hamstring issue. Gavin Cowan, who was appointed on January 29, began his tenure with a draw and a defeat but has since overseen a run of wins; that run moved the club away from the relegation battle, though the context notes they could be dragged back if the winning sequence did not continue.

Probable lineup and match list

The squad composition mentioned in the buildup included: Young; Dorrington, Awe, Cooper; Ashley, Mnoga, Grant, Austerfield, Woodburn; Graydon, Borini. The match outcome left Salford facing a fifth straight defeat in all competitions and Shrewsbury celebrating a fifth consecutive victory in League Two.

It is unclear in the provided context what each team’s next scheduled fixture is after this match.