Boss Paul Simpson believes goalkeeper Dave Button can be the ace in the pack as Shrewsbury Town go all out to keep their promotion dreams alive in Saturday’s crunch clash at Northampton.
Simpson wants his side to win all of their last three games to give them the best chance of snatching a play-off spot, and in on-loan Tottenham man Button, Town have a man bang in form having kept three clean sheets in a row to help reignite the club’s season.
Town also need to put the ball in the net to stay on course for a top seven spot, but Simpson’s confident he can rely on Button to help keep it tight at the other end.
“Dave Button’s played a huge part in it, as have all the back five,” said Prostar chief Simpson.
“We’ve had a lot of situations where the opposition have got in behind us but Dave’s stood up really strong.
“Three clean sheets is a great achievement and now we want to make it four and then five.”
Simpson insisted he had been delighted with the impact of the big England under-20 international since drafting him in on loan from White Hart Lane in November.
“I think Dave’s a hell of a good goalkeeper,” he said. “He’s a good size, he’s a real presence in the 18 yard box and he’s an excellent kicker which is a big part of a keeper’s game now.
“He’s been much more positive over the last month or two as Dave Timmins has been drumming into him the need to get on the front foot, and we’re seeing the benefit of that.
“Whether or not he’s going to get in at Tottenham over the next year or two, I don’t really know, but he’s got a great chance from what I’ve seen.
“He’s done himself no harm at all coming here and he’s had a run of games which has done him the world of good.
“He’s grown in confidence and I would imagine there will be clubs at a higher level who will want to take him next year.”
Simpson is confident Town have what it takes to gatecrash the play-off positions over the final few weeks of the season.
But he admitted there’s no margin for error with the odds loaded against his team who are currently four points adrift of the top seven in 12th spot.
“I think we have to get three wins and that still might not give us enough points,” he said.
“We know if we go to Northampton and win we would go above them and it would be back in our hands as regards them.
“We can then also do the same to Morecambe and Port Vale so there’s three teams we can seriously affect if we win our three games.
“We want to win to give ourselves a chance of being involved in something at the end of the season.
“We want to take away all the doom and gloom there is and we can only do that by winning games.”
Simpson added he had been pleased with his side’s much needed revival and hopes the experience of sneaking into the play-offs 12 months ago will stand them in good stead.
“We’re in the exact same position as we were last year with 62 points after 43 games,” he said.
“It’s quite strange really because we all accept it’s been a frustrating season, but you look at what we lost last summer with the players who went out and it makes you think.
“What would we have given for the 31 goals Grant Holt’s gone and scored for Norwich and the 15 goals Ben Davies has got for Notts County. Where would those 46 goals have put us?
“Because of the finances we had to sell Grant Holt and him helping Norwich to promotion now gives us half a million from that deal.
“We’re still waiting to find out whether we get possibly £100,000 for Chris Humphrey (from Motherwell) and we also lost Ben Davies.
“What a difference those three players might have made to us.”
Town fans are reminded that Saturday’s match at Sixfields is all ticket.
Town reserves, meanwhile, were beaten 4-0 by Walsall at the Banks’s Stadium in the Central League on Tuesday night.
The youth team lost 1-0 at Puma Youth Alliance champions Preston last weekend.
By Stuart Dunn