Match ends, Shrewsbury Town 0, Wycombe Wanderers 0.
ShrewsburyShrewsbury Town0WycombeWycombe Wanderers0
Wycombe became only the second team to escape from Shrewsbury with a point this season as the meeting of the top two in League Two ended goalless.
Town looked to have won it in stoppage time when substitute Andy Mangan had the ball in the net, only to be thwarted by the linesman's flag.
Town, who went top on Boxing Day, had won 10 of their previous 11 home league matches, conceding just three goals.
But Wycombe have a great away record, having now only lost once in 11 games.
| The last visiting player to score at the Meadow? |
|---|
| Shrewsbury have gone 447 minutes of football since last conceding a home league goal - Jed Wallace's early penalty for Portsmouth on 25 October. |
| Didier Drogba scored in the League Cup for Chelsea three nights later, in a fourth-round tie decided by Jermaine Grandison's late own goal. But, since then, the Town have kept five successive clean sheets - in four league games and one FA Cup first-round replay win over Walsall. |
Gareth Ainsworth's side ended up matching the feat of Newport County, who also held Micky Mellon's Shrewsbury to a goalless draw back in mid-September.
Shrewsbury and Wycombe share the top two slots on 44 points, a point clear of third-placed Burton Albion, whose game at Accrington was postponed.
Town created the majority of the game's best chances, Connor Goldson seeing a close-range first-half volley blocked before skipper Liam Lawrence was unable to keep down a free-kick from the edge of the penalty area.
The hosts continued to look the more likely winners in the second half, Mickey Demetriou and Scott Vernon both missing decent chances before Mark Ellis was also close to a breakthrough when his close-range shot was turned round a post by Wycombe goalkeeper Matt Ingram.
Shrewsbury now face two stern tests of their credentials, at Burton next Saturday before the Thursday night trip to fourth-placed Luton on 8 January.
Shrewsbury Town manager Micky Mellon told BBC Radio Shropshire:
"The referee has made a call with the offside goal and we have to live with it now. It looked tight, but we have to forget about it.
"We didn't play with the right energy levels on a pitch like this. We were off the pace before half-time but, in the second half, we were the team that looked like winning and I'm pleased with the reaction.
"A few times the final pass or the cross in the final third was missing but, if anyone was going to score, it was going to be us. Wycombe didn't really create anything in the second half that troubled us, and we had more than enough chances to win it.
"Three clean sheets now is outstanding. You know what you are going get from our defence. It's a great finish to the year and you have to be pleased with that. If you were to say at the start of the season that we'd finish the year at the top of the league we'd have been delighted."
Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth told BBC Three Counties Radio:
"The lads have dug so deep, come to a team that has been unstoppable at home and we have stopped and stifled their game.
"The energy levels have astounded me. It was a hectic game and I'm so proud of them today.
"I think that's a great point against the league leaders. We conceded right at the death, but the goal was off-side and rightly so.
"First half I thought we were the better side, but second half they were the better side so I think a draw is a fair result."
Line-ups
Shrewsbury
Formation 3-5-2
- 1Leutwiler
- 6Goldson
- 5EllisBooked at 15mins
- 20Knight-Percival
- 23Passley
- 4Woods
- 11Lawrence
- 24GrantSubstituted forManganat 86'minutes
- 3Demetriou
- 9Collins
- 10VernonSubstituted forAkpa-Akproat 80'minutes
Substitutes
- 2Grandison
- 7Vincent
- 16Griffith
- 19Mangan
- 21Halstead
- 22Clark
- 26Akpa-Akpro
Wycombe
Formation 4-5-1
- 1Ingram
- 2Jombati
- 6PierreBooked at 79mins
- 26Mawson
- 3JacobsonBooked at 42mins
- 7Cowan-Hall
- 10BloomfieldBooked at 45minsSubstituted forMurphyat 90'minutes
- 4Scowen
- 8Lewis
- 23OnyedinmaSubstituted forWoodat 68'minutes
- 25Amadi-HollowaySubstituted forCraigat 72'minutes
Substitutes
- 11Wood
- 12Craig
- 13Richardson
- 15Murphy
- Referee:
- Mark Clattenburg
- Attendance:
- 7,239
Match Stats
Home TeamShrewsburyAway TeamWycombe
- Possession
- Home47%
- Away53%
- Shots
- Home11
- Away8
- Shots on Target
- Home2
- Away2
- Corners
- Home4
- Away8
- Fouls
- Home16
- Away18
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Shrewsbury Town 0, Wycombe Wanderers 0.
Post update
Attempt saved. Mickey Demetriou (Shrewsbury Town) header from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
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Connor Goldson (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Aaron Pierre (Wycombe Wanderers).
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Attempt missed. Josh Scowen (Wycombe Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top left corner.
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Corner, Wycombe Wanderers. Conceded by Mickey Demetriou.
Substitution
Substitution, Wycombe Wanderers. Peter Murphy replaces Matt Bloomfield.
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Corner, Wycombe Wanderers. Conceded by Mark Ellis.
Substitution
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Andy Mangan replaces Bobby Grant.
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Attempt missed. Bobby Grant (Shrewsbury Town) left footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
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Connor Goldson (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Post update
Foul by Paris Cowan-Hall (Wycombe Wanderers).
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Foul by Joshua Passley (Shrewsbury Town).
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Josh Scowen (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Connor Goldson (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Sam Wood (Wycombe Wanderers).
Substitution
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro replaces Scott Vernon.
Booking
Aaron Pierre (Wycombe Wanderers) is shown the yellow card.
Post update
James Collins (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
