The ex-Portsmouth boss working League One 'miracles' - and boosting Blues promotion ambition

At the end of last month, the former Blues boss took over a side second from bottom and was immediately pitched into a daunting run of league fixtures.

They involved facing five of the table’s top eight, consisting of three away from home.

Today the Shrews sit 16th, having taken an improbable 11 points from a possible 15, remaining undefeated in the process.

Cotterill has been ‘working miracles’ according to a Tweet from Shropshire Star reporter Lewis Cox.

Under his guidance, the strugglers have drawn to Accrington and Charlton, while registered wins at Hull, Lincoln and Doncaster.

The latest triumph was Tuesday evening’s 1-0 success at fourth-placed Rovers, which denied the hosts claiming top spot at Christmas.

It was an outcome celebrated by the Fratton faithful, thereby preserving their own status as Christmas number one.

Although with Pompey’s next two matches postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak, it’s a lead then can expect to relinquish over the festive period.

Still, Cotterill’s heroics haven’t gone unnoticed across football, particularly among Fratton followers.

He quit Pompey as boss in October 2011 in favour of joining Nottingham Forest, a decision which forever affected his south-coast popularity.

While the ex-Burnley boss has faced strong criticism over the years, he actually performed sufficiently impressively to earn that Forest switch – and the Blues compensation.

Appointed at Fratton Park following relegation from the Premier League and the club still in administration, Cotterill led Pompey to 16th in the Championship in 2010-11, although until the final two matches they had been 14th.

His final match was a 1-0 defeat at Leeds in October 2011, with the Blues 19th in the table in 2012-12.

Overall, he oversaw 61 matches, winning 19 of them, and establishing a win ratio of 31.14 per cent.

After Forest, he steered Bristol City to the 2014-15 League One title and EFL Trophy in the same season, before later joining Birmingham.

Now Cotterill’s rebuilding his reputation at Shrewsbury – and is scheduled to meet Pompey on March 27.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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