ECHOSPORT talks to Shrewsbury Town fan Jack Groom ahead of tonight's game.

What have you made of the season so far?

"The season so far has been a solid but not spectacular one, with the team showing themselves to be generally defensively solid, yet with an inability to hugely dominate opposition teams.

"Sam Ricketts is looking to utilise a 3-5-2 formation, and there can be no denying that it is taking time for the players to understand their roles within the system.

"Admittedly though, there are seeds of improvement being shown in each match, as the players begin to do develop a better grasp on their roles within the formation.

"We have had a dire run of injuries since the start of the season however, and so the solid start we have had is a good achievement given the amount of bodies we have had on the treatment table.

"Nevertheless, five goals in seven league games - the second-worst return in the division - is a stat that desperately needs changing."

What would be the hopes for Shrewsbury this season?

"I think I speak for the vast majority of Town fans when I saw that a successful season would be one in which we are not battling against the drop.

"Barring the freak season of 2017/18, every other year in the third tier since our return in 2015/16 has been spent nervously looking over our shoulders until the final day of the season, and so a mid-table finish where we are comfortably safe would be a success in my opinion.

"Of course there is always the hope that we could muster a play-off push, however I feel that realistically that is beyond our current capabilities."

Who would you say is the Shrewsbury's dangerman?

"Striker Jason Cummings was our big addition of the transfer window, joining on a two-year contract from Nottingham Forest, and he has already proved his worth to the side with the equaliser away at AFC Wimbledon on Saturday.

"He is the kind of player we were crying out for prior to him signing: a striker that can make things happen individually, yet is also ruthless enough to put away the chances we create.

"His goal on Saturday was one in which I do not believe we would have scored had he not been on the pitch, as previously we would not have had anybody in the position to put it away.

"Admittedly he is not yet ready to play a full 90 minutes, but he will almost certainly get a run out off the bench on Tuesday, and will become a vital player for us moving forward."

What's the team news for the game tonight?

"We are approaching having a fully-fit squad for the first time in the season, but I don't think we will quite manage that in time for this match.

"Striker Fejiri Okenabirhie, last season's top goalscorer, is still around a week away from returning from a hamstring strain, while midfielder Dave Edwards is nursing an ankle problem that required surgery in the summer."

What's the likely starting line-up?

"O'Leary; Love, Williams, Ebanks-Landell, Pierre, Giles; Laurent, Goss, Thompson; Whalley, Lang."