Isaac Fletcher's stoppage-time strike secured a dramatic 2-2 draw for Shrewsbury against Colchester United, a result that keeps them above the League Two relegation zone. The point moves them to 18th place with seven points from their opening seven games, a vital step after a tough start to the season.
Shrewsbury trailed early when Moses Sesay put the visitors ahead in the 19th minute. They responded well, with Luca Hoole heading home a Tom Sang set-piece to equalise just before the half-hour mark. The first half ended level after Shrewsbury finished strongly, with George Lloyd and Hoole both forcing saves from Colchester keeper Timotheee Lo-Tutala.
Second half battle
The second period was a tense affair. Shrewsbury, lining up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, created the better chances despite having only 39% of possession. Sam Stubbs saw a header cleared off the line before Fletcher thought he had won it in the second minute of added time, turning home from close range after a Lo-Tutala error. The drama wasn't over. Just three minutes later, Oscar Thorn's cross found Sesay, who completed his brace to snatch a point for Colchester. "I turned home Oscar Thorn's cross to secure the point," Sesay said afterwards.
Shrewsbury manager G. Cowan saw his side pick up three yellow cards but show the resilience needed at this stage. The draw follows a recent pattern of mixed results, with the team's form reading DLDWL from their last five matches. The single point leaves Shrewsbury on 7 points for the season. Their next fixture is a home match against Accrington Stanley on Saturday, 21 September. The squad's current standing and statistics are available in our stats section.
The late drama against Colchester has left Shrewsbury 18th in League Two with 8 points from 8 games, having scored 7 and conceded 13 this season. Manager G. Cowan confirmed the club is appealing Sam Stubbs's red card from the match. The appeal was lodged with the Football Association on Monday. This follows a similar process earlier in the window when a suspension for George Lloyd was successfully overturned. The side now prepares for an away trip to sixth-placed Grimsby on October 3rd.
