Paul Hurst: EFL Trophy is Shrewsbury's best hope of winning something, says boss

Having had to squeeze in two FA Cup ties against West Ham, the Oldham game is the 10th in 32 days for Shrewsbury

Promotion-chasing Shrewsbury Town have defied the odds to remain a promotion force in League One this season.

Approaching the final third of the campaign, they are still in serious contention to go up automatically, sitting just outside the top two places on goal difference.

But manager Paul Hurst is still realistic enough to admit that the EFL Trophy, in which Town host Oldham Athletic on Tuesday, remains their best hope of winning something this season.

"The players should feel they've got a chance of playing at Wembley," he said.

"One or two have been lucky enough to do it already, but it's not something you get bored of. It's great for anyone's career," added Hurst, a winner at the old Wembley in this competition himself, with Rotherham United, against Shrewsbury 22 years ago.

Paul Hurst was a Wembley winner with Rotherham against Shrewsbury in the 1996 Auto Windscreens Shield

If Shrewsbury, third in League One, can beat Oldham, they would be just one win from Wembley. And, although he said his players felt flat on Saturday after surrendering a two-goal lead to draw at home to Doncaster Rovers, he admits his side have good cause to get excited.

"I'd love to lead this team out in a final," he said. "Everything considered, it's the best chance we have of winning something.

"Oldham place a value on it themselves and it will be difficult. But we're one of eight teams in with a chance. Hopefully, after this week, we'll be one of four."

Shrewsbury hanging in there

• After being installed as bookmakers favourites to go down in pre-season, Shrewsbury went unbeaten in their first 15 League One matches this season.

• At one point, on 18 November, they sat four points clear of current leaders Wigan Athletic after a 2-1 win at Hurst's old club Rotherham.

• They now trail Wigan by five points, having won just five of their last 12 matches. And they have been displaced in second place by Blackburn Rovers.

• Town spent almost five months in the top two, stretching back to 26 August. And they are still only outside the top two on goal difference.

That same old 'feeling'

Shrewsbury's 10-goal top scorer Stefan Payne had only just arrived at Barnsley from Dover Athletic when he had his first taste of Wembley in May 2016.

"I was with Barnsley for the play-off final," he said. "I remember thinking I'm at a League One club and, by the end of the afternoon, I could be at a Championship club and that's how it turned out.

Stefan Payne has scored 10 goals for Shrewsbury Town this season

"Hopefully, I can go there again and have another great feeling.

"A lot of managers look at it and think it's adding a couple of extra games of the fixture list you don't need.

"But, right from the very first game, at Coventry, the gaffer stressed just how much he wanted to win the competition."

Since then, having disposed of Coventry, Walsall, and West Bromwich Albion Under-21s in their qualifying group, the Town have also got past Port Vale (a 2-1 away win) and Blackpool (4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw) to reach the quarter-finals.

Paul Hurst and Stefan Payne were talking to BBC Radio Shropshire's James Bond.