Shrewsbury Town manager Gavin Cowan says he and his squad must “understand” and cope with the club’s rising expectations amid their excellent form.
Salop have won their last five league games on the bounce to escape the relegation trouble that surrounded the club when Cowan replaced Michael Appleton at the end of January.
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As he prepares for Saturday’s visit of out-of-form Walsall, Cowan says recent results have had a huge impact on confidence.
He told BBC Radio Shropshire: “Yeah, it’s really good and obviously we want to try and prolong this situation for as long as possible.”
“The lads have been really lively, which is a stark contrast to when we came in four weeks ago.
“I’m really pleased that we managed to spark the energy of the club and the fans.
“We want to try and extend this and try to be the best version of ourselves every game.
“So I think all the fans want to see the players play in this jersey. So, yeah, I’m really proud of them. I’m really, really happy that it’s gone.”
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Wins against Barrow, Swindon Town, Notts County, Accrington and Salford City saw Shrewsbury move two points above the relegation zone into 22nd, moving up to 17th, 12 points clear.
Cowan said he didn’t necessarily expect such an immediate impact.
“It was definitely our hope but we tried to be strategic and everything was designed and the lads have delivered on it very well,” he said.
“We want to win every game but now everyone is saying, ‘Of course, they’re going to lose’ but we feel like we don’t need that.
“We’re not going to get too carried away with what happened and we’re not going to look too far ahead. We just want to be the best we can be against a big team like Walsall.
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“I understand that starting four weeks ago there are higher expectations of what we can achieve, but at the end of the day we have to do it.
“So whatever expectations are, they are beyond my control and the control of the players.
“We understand that moving forward in the season, we may not [our best] every week, but [we] Want to be competitive. “
Burgoyne replaces Jensen as goalkeeping coach
Cowan also confirmed that the club had appointed Harry Burgoyne as goalkeeping coach following the departure of Brian Jansen in early February.
Burgoyne, 29, played for Shrewsbury between January 2020 and July 2024, making 39 appearances and has signed until the end of the season.
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It follows a brief spell in charge of former England and Salop goalkeeper Joe Hart, who worked alongside Matt Cox and Will Brooke ahead of Tuesday’s win over Salford.
