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Time Wasting From The First Half For A 0-0 Draw At Home To Barnet
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Will we ever beat Shrewsbury again?
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By:
Max Bygraves
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01/02/2026
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This article has been viewed 306 times.
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I usually try and be clever with my headlines, but can only really call this one what it was. Whilst frustrating on our part, that was a collector’s item. Never seen anything quite like it.
An unfortunate pattern is developing for me of choosing away games that end in goalless draws. Three on the bounce now.
Shrewsbury away wasn’t an obvious one when the fixtures were released and hadn’t really been on my radar until a few weeks ago. The stars aligned with my sister living just an hour away and keen to see her niece and nephew. Kids duly dropped en route before a slightly frantic onward journey from the midlands. It had all run like clockwork until some M5 traffic and then what felt like pure mistruths in the away guide on the Shrewsbury website regarding the walking/jogging time from the car park. Slightly hot and bothered, I made it into the ground a couple of minutes after the game had started.
Such was the entertainment on offer, I worked out during the first half that this was my fifth visit to Shrewsbury Town. Only a second at this new venue however. It is a sorry, functional sort of place isn’t it? Cash only for parking and on the day tickets the only old school elements here.
Certainly a far cry from the brilliant Gay Meadow on the banks of the River Severn, right in the heart of Shrewsbury (which in fairness, is a lovely little town). Three memorable visits there, one for the wrong reasons with it ending in penalty shootout play off heartbreak. However, either side of that, very memorable 1-0 wins courtesy of Grazioli in 2003 and Puncheon in 2006. The latter, a Friday night in bitter temperatures and swirling fog three days before Christmas. An 82nd minute volley from a man destined for far greater things sent 89 of us cavorting around a sparse terrace behind the big iron fence. A fitting farewell to Gay Meadow.
The only prior visit I’d taken to the Croud Meadow was our first ever visit in November 2007. It is weird going back somewhere after nearly two decades reflecting on what’s gone between. A couple of things stick out from that one whilst we’re on memory lane. A group of us drove there and back in a friend’s battered little Corsa from Nottingham as the others had decided Shrewsbury away somehow tied in as a suitable weekender visit whilst I was at uni. Certainly pre using phone maps and too skint for Sat Navs, I recall a very dicey journey back through the middle of nowhere with petrol running out. All soundtracked by The Wombats album. Very Inbetweeners. I believe we ended up finding a garage in the wonderfully named village of Loggerheads before filling up and making it back to Nottingham for a big night in Gatecrasher (RIP). Simple times.
Last thing on that, I feel I still owe an apology to the Shrewsbury goalkeeper that day, Glyn Garner. We lost in stoppage time 1-0, just after Ian Hendon had come onto the pitch for what proved to be his final ever appearance. In my youthful rage, I decided to take all my frustrations out on the Shrewsbury goalkeeper as the goal went in down the other end. I can very vividly remember the look on his face of ‘what have I done?’ Which was fair enough really. Sorry Glyn.
What with an unusually solo car journey to the game and back plus a poor quality match to watch, there was a fair bit of thinking time. I’d argue we’ve probably just had the articles’ best content there.
There isn’t too much I can really give you on the game beyond the headline. It was astounding to watch a team set up like that against us at home. In context, their brand new manager obviously has had no time to work with his new team and didn’t want to have a damaging start. Clearly damage limitation in the extreme as from the very early stages, some appalling skullduggery was on show from their goalkeeper. Every second clearly counted and every inch seen very much as an advantage. If they’d scored an early goal, you’d understand it, but at 0-0 it really was a sight to behold. You could maybe take it as a compliment to us but I think that’d be pushing it.
Glover went close just before the half hour mark. It looked like two clearances off the line in succession but in reality it was one and then a scrambled clearance. Within a minute Shrewsbury broke and had a free header of their own which they wasted. That was about as pulsating a constant sixty seconds throughout the game. We troubled the keeper a couple more times before the break, but not to any great extent.
Impressive tannoy choice by the Shrews to go with LSF by Kasabian as the teams left the field for half time. Noted and respected. On the note of songs, much of our 191 fans did a good job at making a bit of a racket. What was notable was quite a considerable repertoire of songs about other teams. Shrewsbury, Stevenage, Bristol Rovers, Wealdstone and Enfield all heard. Each to their own but surely a little more effective just to sing about Barnet?
The second half brought much of the same. Barnet on top. Shrewsbury time wasting and happy to get a point.
There were chances. We started the second half brightly and it did feel like something was coming but ultimately, we had no cutting edge. From my angle, it looked like we could have had a penalty when Shelton was wrestled down as a cross went into the box. There was no huge appeal though so perhaps there wasn’t much in it. Ofoborh diving amused me. You’re too big to get away with that you silly man.
On 67 minutes we got a big old legitimate ‘wheeeyyyy’ from the home end as Collinge smashed a shot into the side netting. The ripple caught many out who went to early. Whoops. Browne, off the bench, had a snatched effort a few minutes later which went just over the bar.
Assombalonga did get off the bench on this occasion but arguably way too late to make any sort of impact. A confusing scenario developing there, maybe, or it just really isn’t working out? Given the investment, you would expect maybe a bit more persistence in seeing if he can have the desired impact.
I’m normally one for staying to give the team a clap whatever the result. However, now knowing the length of the walk back to the park and ride and with fears of massive queues, I was out the door the moment that final shrill went on the ref’s whistle. It paid off, in fairness. No queue out the car park and back at my sister’s in time for fish and chips with the second half of Gladiators on BBC1.
A disappointing result against a team we should have beat, simply because they looked rubbish. They’ll be pleased to have got a point and a clean sheet and will probably be ok based on how poor Newport and Harrogate are.
The reaction from some, despite the frustrations of the game itself yesterday, never fail to surprise. We are going very steady in 12th place. We’re keeping lots of clean sheets and still can see the play off spots on the horizon. There doesn’t seem to be much between anyone in the division this year, so almost any game is pretty much winnable or indeed, lose-able. I would have snapped your hand off for 42 points at this stage. If we win on Tuesday and then spring a surprise at Walsall on Saturday, it’ll all be looking extremely rosy. As said a couple of weeks back, I’d really suggest not stressing too much about it and enjoying the mid table League 2 comfort with no threat of relegation.
To end, some clarity given by Dean Brennan in his post match regarding Stead’s absence. A real shame for it to end like this. Whilst a sour way to end, he will only be remembered fondly for his contribution overall. Interesting to see what happens between now and the deadline on Monday…
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