Shrewsbury have to look up not down - Appleton

Michael Appleton is trying to stabilise Shrewsbury Town on the pitch this season following last term's relegation from League One

Shrewsbury Town manager Michael Appleton says he will not be able to fully "enjoy the moment" this season until they pull further clear of the relegation places in League Two.

Salop won a vital game last Saturday against bottom-of-the-table Newport to move out of the bottom two ahead of this weekend's trip to Fleetwood Town.

That victory was only their fourth in 16 games this season but built on a recent upturn in results that has seen them lose just once - to Crewe Alexandra - in their past six matches.

"All we've done is win a game off the back of doing quite well for five or six games," Appleton told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"We reacted really well to the defeat at Crewe and we just have to continue to do that.

"It's not going to work winning a game and then have three or four negative results.

"Once we start genuinely looking up rather than behind us, none of us will feel comfortable to enjoy the moment."

Town's recent revival has come after a poor start to the campaign that brought only one win from their first 10 games.

But with the table as tight as it is - with six points separating next-to-bottom Cheltenham Town and Oldham Athletic, in 16th - Appleton knows keeping their good run going is vital.

"It's so important to put two or three results together," he said.

"The reality is the first 10 games of the season has hurt us and put us in a position we don't want to be in.

"I'm not saying we should be competing at the top end of the table, we're still a bit away from that, but there seems to be a change in mentality.

"There seems to be more reslilence. Points need picking up and, right now, we need to find a way of winning games and at the moment we can't."