Salford City Vs Shrewsbury: Joe Hart Helps Out as Shrewsbury Run Hits Five with 2-1 Win at Salford

Shrewsbury Town came from behind to beat Salford City 2-1 on Tuesday, a result that extended the visitors' winning streak to five and deepened Salford's slump. The match was notable for former England goalkeeper Joe Hart filling in as Shrewsbury's goalkeeper coach while Will Boyle's 76th-minute strike decided the contest.

Salford City Vs Shrewsbury: match turning points

Salford took a fortunate lead late in the first half when, in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, Matthew Cox pushed a mis-hit Ryan Graydon volley against Luca Hoole and the ball rebounded into the net. Shrewsbury levelled six minutes after the break when Tom Sang drove the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box after Josh Ruffels' initial shot had been cleared off the line. With the game finely balanced, Will Boyle fired into the bottom corner in the 76th minute to seal a 2-1 victory for Gavin Cowan's side.

Joe Hart's role at Shrewsbury

Former England and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart, who started his career in Salop, was on the touchline helping his old club out as goalkeeper coach for the League Two fixture. His temporary coaching role coincided with a night in which Shrewsbury overturned a half-time deficit to continue their run of wins.

Gavin Cowan and Shrewsbury's momentum

Gavin Cowan's side have now recorded five consecutive victories. Cowan was appointed on January 29, and after an initial draw and a defeat early in his tenure, the club has won every fixture he has been in charge of since. The Shrews had been occupying 18th in the division after 33 fixtures with nine wins, eight draws and 16 defeats, giving them 35 points before the match; the winning run has moved them away from the relegation battle but the context warned they must keep winning to avoid being dragged back into trouble.

Salford's injuries, absences and missed chances

Salford's evening began brightly, with Ossama Ashley and Jorge Grant going close, but their missed opportunities proved costly. Josh Austerfield rattled the crossbar with a powerful header and Ben Woodburn had a volley cleared off the line, moments that Karl Robinson's side would rue after Boyle's winner. The result left Salford on a run of poor form: a fifth straight defeat in all competitions, having lost their last three league games and four of their last five overall. A recent 3-2 loss to Cheltenham Town was part of that sequence and has seen them drop out of the playoff positions.

Selection, suspensions and fitness issues at Salford

Several players were unavailable or had fitness questions heading into the fixture. Michael Rose, Jay Bird, Tom Edwards, Dan Chesters, Kallum Cesay and Ade Oluwo were not part of the squad that lost to Cheltenham. Kadeem Harris was replaced in the first half of that game after going down injured; his replacement, Daniel Udoh, was himself withdrawn in the final minutes for Ben Woodburn. Salford will also be without Luke Garbutt after he was sent off in their defeat at the weekend. The lineup list that was noted ahead of the game included Young; Dorrington, Awe, Cooper; Ashley, Mnoga, Grant, Austerfield, Woodburn; Graydon, Borini.

Shrewsbury squad setbacks and outlook

Shrewsbury have their own injury concerns. Bradley Ihionvien remains in rehabilitation, John Marquis is set to be out for four weeks, Sam Clucas was on the bench at the weekend as he continues to recover from injury concerns, and Anthony Scully is being assessed after sustaining another hamstring issue. What makes this notable is that, despite those absences and recent instability, Cowan's team produced a disciplined comeback on the road.

The cause-and-effect of the night was clear: Salford's failure to convert clear opportunities, combined with a fortunate early home goal and a resilient Shrewsbury response after the break, produced a momentum swing that Boyle capitalised on at 76 minutes. The timing matters because Salford's sequence of defeats has immediate implications for their promotion hopes while Shrewsbury's five-game run under Cowan has materially improved their immediate prospects.