Shrewsbury Town 1 Torquay United 1
United stretched their unbeaten League 2 run to seven games with a hard fought 1-1 draw at Shrewsbury. A pretty uneventful first period was followed in the second half by plenty of action including a sending off for Kieran Charnock and a second successive league goal from Chris Hargreaves but ultimately United were pegged back and did extremely well to hang on for a point.
Boss Paul Buckle made three changes to the side that beat Cheltenham last weekend; Tyrone Thompson replaced the injured Nicky Wroe in central midfield, Michael Poke came back to tend the goal with Scott Bevan dropping to the bench and Danny Stevens came off the bench from last week to swap places with Elliot Benyon. Stevens took the left wing berth with Jake Thomson supporting Tim Sills in attack.
United started the match brightly and both Chris Robertson & Wayne Carlisle had sights of the Shrewsbury goal inside the first five minutes. The home side didn't create a shooting opportunity until the twelfth minute but McIntyre's effort was never a threat to Michael Poke's goal.
There was plenty of possession for the Gulls and they had settled into the match more positively than their hosts although clear cut chances were few and far between for both sides. Hibbert came closest to scoring for Shrewsbury when he fizzed a shot just past Poke's left hand post but that was as close as we got in the first half hour.
Murray was booked for a late tackle on United skipper Chris Hargreaves and Poke was called into action when Leslie turned inside Lee Mansell and forced the Gulls' 'keeper to tip the ball over with a strong right foot shot. This started a period of pressure that United had to withstand but they did so without any major difficulty although Lee Mansell picked up a yellow card as the half drew to a close. The final action came when Devitt sent a well struck free-kick onto the roof of United's goal.
No goals at the break and no real sign of the drama to come.
Half-time: Shrewsbury Town 0 United 0
Bucks isn't usually one for making changes during half-time but he decided one was needed at the break in this match. Elliot Benyon was introduced to the fray, taking the place of Danny Stevens with Jake Thomson moving to the left wing.
The second period began in a similar vein to the first with neither team creating too much but in the 54th minute the drama started to unfold. Kieran Charnock went in fully committed to a tackle with Murray and possibly had his studs showing which was enough for the referee to deem it a dangerous challenge and show the Gulls' centre back a straight red card. There weren't too many complaints and it forced United into an immediate change with Jake Thomson being sacrificed and Mark Ellis coming on to fill the defensive hole that Charnock's red card created.
The extra man advantage did seem to spur on the home side and they took hold of the match. Holden shot narrowly wide from 25 yards with as Shrewsbury threatened to over-run United. Holden tested Poke with a well struck shot but the United 'keeper was yet again in good form and pushed the ball to safety. In another tactical change Paul Buckle brought Marvin Williams back into first team action as he replaced Tim Sills. Williams went on to the left wing and Benyon was left to plough a lone furrow up front.
United were enveloped in a good old fashioned rear-guard action now but they had plenty of players on the pitch more than comfortable with having to roll their sleeves up and get stuck in. Out of the heat of battle in a strong wind United managed to create one of the few pieces of real quality in the match and from it they opened the scoring. Wayne Carlisle broke down the right and eventually crossed low to Marvin Williams who looked up and then laid the ball off the Chris Hargreaves. The United skipper's shot may well have been going in anyway but the huge deflection the ball got on its way toward goal gave Neal no chance and sent the 310 United supporters wild. Could the Gulls hold on for a famous victory?
Goal: Shrewsbury 0 United 1 (Hargreaves 77)
Shortly after the goal Michael Poke was booked for time-wasting which wasn't unexpected as United were fully expecting the kitchen sink to be thrown at them by the home side for the remainder of the game. The lead looked to have lasted barely moments when Coughlan hit the inside of the United post but the ball ran along the line before Poke jumped on it.
Hibbert had already come close to scoring for the home side and nine minutes from time he finally beat Poke with a low right foot shot into the bottom corner. It was hard on United but they had no time to feel sorry for themselves because the home side were looking for a winner.
Goal: Shrewsbury 1 (Hibbert 81) United 1
Shrewsbury substitute Bright should have denied the Gulls anything but his header from close range went straight to a thankful Poke as United defended desperately at times but hold on they did. A seven game unbeaten league run is a very good foundation and at the moment United's league placing certainly isn't a reflection on their commitment and form.
Full-time: Shrewsbury Town 1 Torquay United 1
