Shrewsbury Town: Boss Matt Taylor vows to solve Salop goal shortage

Daniel Udoh is Shrewsbury's top scorer this season with five goals in all competitions

Shrewsbury Town are intent on finding a fix to this season's lack of goals for the League One side.

Town have scored just 17 times in 26 league games this term, the fewest in the English Football League.

Three of those came in the last league game, the 3-1 home win over Fleetwood - and it was poor finishing that cost them in Sunday's FA Cup third-round exit to border rivals Wrexham.

"We need to try to get some goals into the team," said head coach Matt Taylor.

"We're hopeful that we will add quality to a position on the pitch that we need to.

"It's no detriment to the players who are here but we haven't scored enough goals."

Town's top scorer is soon to be out-of-contract striker Daniel Udoh with five goals in all competitions. But only three have come in the league, in which he shares the honour of being leading marksman with defender Chey Dunkley, who got one of the three against Fleetwood.

Matt Taylor is in his second job in EFL management following his eight and a half months at Walsall in 2021-22

In England's top four divisions, only Sheffield United have scored fewer, but even the Blades have a better goals per game ratio - 15 in 20 Premier League matches.

And the lowest by any other EFL club is the 18 scored by League One rivals Exeter, while Cheltenham are only one more goal better off after failing to find the net in their first 11 league games of the season.

That leaves Town director of football Micky Moore and head coach Taylor exploring new avenues - and their first step was to recall striker Tom Bloxham from loan at League Two side Morecambe, where he has not scored in 24 league appearances this season.

Bloxham, who joined the Shrimps in the summer when Taylor took over as head coach, is now available to play in Saturday's home game against Steve Evans' seventh-placed Stevenage.

But Shrewsbury are being kept on hold with two January window transfer targets, Crystal Palace youngster Ademola Ola-Adebomi and Wolves teenager Nathan Fraser.

Ola-Adebomi is still an option but Town have been told that Palace would like to keep him at least until after their FA Cup third-round replay with Everton next Wednesday, while Fraser has gone to Abu Dhabi on a winter break training camp with Wolves.

"Their parent clubs gave us permission," said Taylor. "Both liked what they saw when they came down but, as with a lot of signings in this window, their respective clubs have decided to hold onto them."

Taylor on Udoh's contract

As for Udoh, he has six months left on the one-year contract extension he triggered at the end of last season, taking him to June 2024.

But Taylor is not clear yet whether the 27-year-old Nigeria-born former Crewe Alexandra, Solihull Moors, Chester, Leamington and Telford striker plans to stay.

"We offered Dan Udoh a new contract at the end of August," Taylor told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"We didn't hear anything until last week, when Micky Moore had contact with his agent. As far as I am aware talks are ongoing between Daniel and Micky.

"Where that is going I don't know. Daniel has made a decision to sit on it which is his prerogative. He has been the ultimate professional so I've no issues whatsoever."