Shrewsbury need to 'give teams hell' - Ainsworth

Gareth Ainsworth replaced Paul Hurst as Shrewsbury boss in November 2024

Shrewsbury Town manager Gareth Ainsworth says his struggling squad need to "give teams hell" in their fight to avoid relegation from League One.

Town's plight took another turn for the worse following Saturday's 2-0 defeat by Exeter - their fifth loss in the last six games.

It leaves them still bottom of the table, 11 points from safety with 10 matches left to play.

"I've said a few home truths to the boys because it's probably one of the few times I'm saying 'that's not good enough'," Ainsworth told BBC Radio Shropshire following the defeat at St James Park.

"We got outfought and it's not like us to get outfought. It wasn't the football that lays down, it was the fight."

'We need a big upturn in these last 10 games'

Former Wycombe boss Ainsworth had seen an improvement in form at the start of February as Town strung back-to-back wins together followed by a draw against Reading.

That point against the Royals lifted them to within three points of safety only for a run of four defeats in a row to put them back in deep trouble.

Ainsworth says he wants to see "more fight" from his squad and highlighted the effort of on-loan striker Vadaine Oliver against the Exeter defence as the sort of attitude he wants to see throughout his team.

"He's come off the pitch absolutely knackered, been in a scrap, like he's been in a war," Ainsworth said.

"We don't give them hell sometimes enough - that's what I want the boys to do.

"I'm not gonna say this is a problem, because it's the first time I've seen it, but I won't like it if that happen again. We have to go out there and absolutely die for the cause.

"I'll make sure that their levels are there next week - and I've not said that very often. It has just dropped off."

Shrewsbury face another huge game on Saturday when fellow relegation candidates Burton Albion come to The Croud Meadow.

With the two other sides currently in the bottom four - Crawley Town and Cambridge United - playing on Tuesday, victory could be even more vital for Shrewsbury at the weekend.

"We always knew it was tough," Ainsworth said.

"There has been an upturn. I need a big, big upturn now for these last 10 games because hopefully that's a sharp shock to some of them to say, 'look, this is what I expect'.

"They know I demand more. I expect more from them.

"There's 30 points to play for, so of course it [avoiding relegation] can be done."