Cowan's approach key to staying up - Boyle

Shrewsbury Town match winner Will Boyle said securing the club's place in League Two for next season was a "brilliant" achievement, given where they were when head coach Gavin Cowan was appointed.

Salop's 1-0 win over Oldham on Saturday, courtesy of Boyle's 30th-minute header, was enough to guarantee their survival in the EFL and avoid a second successive relegation.

When Cowan replaced Michael Appleton on 30 January, Town were two points above the relegation zone and in a battle to avoid dropping into non-league for the first time in 23 years.

But former Brackley boss, and Salop defender Cowan, inspired a run of 19 points out of his first 27 in charge pulling Town 13 points clear of trouble and, despite a wobble of five defeats in six, victory over the Latics secured their safety.

"Without putting a dampener on it I think overall it's been a frustrating and disappointing season but to get the job done now after the position we were in when the gaffer came in, to have three games to spare, is brilliant," Salop skipper Boyle told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"We've got to commend him [Cowan] for the job he's done. He's come in, got us organised and we've managed to get the points on the board where we're in a very precarious position at that point. So, yeah, it's a relief."

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• 'We're not safe yet' - Shrewsbury skipper Boyle

Boyle, a summer signing from Wrexham, said it is vital the squad stay "professional" over the final three games of the season and "finish the season off strong".

"Everyone says they don't look at the table, but I'm pretty sure 95% of people do," he said.

"We know what position we were in in January. And, at that stage, it's tough. You don't know where the next win's coming from. Confidence is tough to pick up at that point.

"I think if we thought from where we'd been to where we're at now with the points tally that we've got from the games we've had, I think we'd have snapped your hand off to be honest."

Head coach Cowan said he was "on top of the world" with knowing Shrewsbury would still be in League Two next season and Boyle said the secret to his success has been a straightforward approach.

"Results have come from a clear process, which gives us clarity, and what we need to invest in as players," Boyle said.

"I think the results back that up. We've been competitive in pretty much every game he's had, it's been nip and tuck, thankfully we've managed to fall the right side of quite a lot of them."