Salop away form must '100%' improve - Appleton

Michael Appleton has won seven and lost 18 of his 31 games in charge of Shrewsbury Town

Shrewsbury Town need to "100%" address their poor away form to take pressure off their results at home says manager Michael Appleton.

Town suffered their ninth defeat of the League Two season at Fleetwood Town on Saturday to remain one point clear of the relegation zone after 17 games.

It was their sixth loss on the road too - the joint most in the fourth tier.

"I'd be a lot more concerned if that was the home form but it's something we need to address, 100%," he told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"We definitely need to be picking more points up on the road, we're putting pressure on ourselves to win games and pick up points at Croud Meadow and at some point we need to start turning that around.

"But, on the flip side, if you keep winning games at home it obviously gives you a much better chance of pulling away from where we want to be at the minute."

Salop were already 3-0 down before Arsenal loanee Ismeal Kabia scored his first goal for the club in the 83rd minute to give the visitors some late consolation.

"He's had quite a lot of opportunities over the last half a dozen games or so and he's beaten himself up a bit that he's not taken them," said Appleton.

"That will certainly help him and from a confidence point of view, give him a springboard to score goals - hopefully there's more to come."

Town's attention now switches to this Saturday's visit of seventh-placed Gillingham, managed by former Salop boss Gareth Ainsworth.

With 11 of Shrewsbury's 16 points so far won at home, Appleton says they have got "loads to work on" this week in the build up to the game.

"We've not been great of late [away from home] but certainly at home we've been a lot more positive," he said.

"I can't speak highly enough of the support we've had and I hope they continue and I hope we can give them something to shout about."