Elliott Bennett of Shrewsbury urged to move forward

Elliott Bennett, the wingback who scored Shrewsbury’s goal at Portsmouth, said Steve Cotterill had urged him to move higher up the field.

After finding himself in an advanced position in the Pompey box, the 33-year-old was on target for the first time this season, and his club grabbed a well-deserved point at Fratton Park on Saturday to round off a physically taxing week.

It was the second time this week that a wing-back has scored, following Jordan Shipley’s goal at Plymouth after being let through on goal.

And Bennett disclosed that the Town manager had questioned him about whether there was anything further he could do to create a threat in enemy territory.

The former Blackburn player added, “The boss remarked to me after the last game there was one that flashed across the box and he asked if I could do more to get in there.” “As we saw on Tuesday, Shippers (Jordan Shipley) is terrific at entering those places.

The coach is correct to seek greater production from the wing-backs.

“I know we have a role to play in defense, but when you play this style, you have to either generate goals or be in the right places to score them.

Thank god I was in the right spot to score, but as a team, nobody wants to be singled out for accolades for doing so.”

“I wasn’t expecting to score, but I’m glad I did because I’m not renowned for doing so.

“In certain circumstances, everything occurs so quickly; it almost seems instinctual.”

Town has distributed the goals so far this season, with Tom Bayliss and Shipley each having three goals to lead the league in scoring.

After that, with two goals apiece, Ryan Bowman, Matthew Pennington, and Christian Saydee come in close succession.

Bennett says it doesn’t matter who scores goals for Town since the end result is what matters, and he isn’t looking for individual recognition.

When the team wins, he stated, “I don’t care who scored, and I don’t care if I spend the entire season without scoring or assisting.” “A win would have been fantastic, but I’m glad to get on the scoresheet and glad we held out for a draw,” the player said.