Cowan 'on top of the world' as Shrews clinch safety

Shrewsbury Town boss Gavin Cowan said the club must "change the rhetoric" for next season after securing their place in the EFL for next season. After dropping out of League One last season, it has been another difficult campaign for Town, who flirted with back-to-back relegations. Off the pitch, the club also remains up for sale after the collapse of successive takeover bids , adding to frustration and discontent among supporters.

However, a 1-0 win over Oldham on Saturday, combined with defeats for Barrow and Harrogate, confirmed the Shrews' League Two safety with three games to spare. "I'm on top of the world," Cowan told BBC Radio Shropshire. "I think the players, the staff and supporters all showed what it means to be part of Shrewsbury Town Football Club.

"Moving forward now, we need to make sure we change the rhetoric that's been within the club. "It's going to be a big job for me in the summer, but the mentality today was just purely being connected, which I was quite vocal about when I first came into the job. " Upturn under Cowan secures EFL place Shrewsbury sat just two points and two places above the trapdoor when Cowan replaced Michael Appleton at the end of January, having taken 22 points from 27 league games.

The former Brackley boss lifted the Shropshire club away from danger with a run of six wins and a draw from his first nine games. Four straight defeats followed, prompting fears of a wobble, but the Shrews then steadied the ship with two more wins to preserve their EFL status. "We've accumulated 25 points now in 16 games, won half of our games," Cowan said.