Tom Walsh takes us on a virtual tour of Shrewsbury ahead of Sunderland’s League One trip to New Meadow on Tuesday.
Please note, due to website issues, we couldn’t bring you Tom’s Cans & Megabus preview for MK Dons. It was very, very good. Sorry!
Here at Cans & Megabus we are very conscious of the term ‘flogging a dead horse’. We have been known in the past to repeat the same joke over and over again, double down on tropes that have long since been funny or even relevant, and, naturally, have been taken to one side and quietly be subject to a stern word or two.
In this spirit, it would be a damn right dereliction of our duties to continually slander the provincial towns which represent the collection of jobbers that inhabit the bottomless chum bucket that is League One. And, besides, when it comes to Shrewsbury, it would be a legitimate lie to say that this quaint town is anything but pleasant.
Leafy, tree-lined suburbs belie the beauty of its centre, punctuated with homely Tudor-era buildings and inviting alehouses. It’s like taking a stroll through a mini York, without the marauding stag and hen dos (in pre-Rona times) ruining the normally very chill vibe. I mean, there could be improvements, of course.
For instance, the stadium could simply not be thousands away in a retail park surrounded by fields and railway lines. However, besides from this minor criticism, Shrewsbury is a wonderfully wholesome place and one that gets the Cans & Megabus seal of approval for a long weekend away (when we’re allowed to do things again).
Now, wasn’t that nice? Maybe this is a new beginning for the Cans & Megabus brand? A smarter, friendlier imaginary away guide, and who’s next on the list? Oh, Burton Albion! This is great!
How To Recreate The New Meadow Experience?
Yes, I know it’s probably still very cold outside but get the full New Meadow experience by taking your laptop to a nice field. Admire the sprawling scenery, and handy proximity to a Lidl, and every now and then watch the Arriva Trains Wales service to Carmarthen past by your periphery.
Does This Place Have Any Good Brews?
If you want to spend a Tuesday evening slopping around the house in a haze of beer and League One vibes, then why not indulge in some Salopian beer? Salopian Brewery has a git load of fancy ales such as Darwin’s Origin, Lemon Dream and Oracle for all you da’s out there. For the cool craft beer drinkers among you, fill your boots with their 6.5% Our Mutual Friend full of Simcoe and Idaho 7 hops, whatever that means.
Did You Know?
Famous Shrewsbury Town supporter and playwright William Shakespeare wrote his 1590 comedy ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ about the trevails of his beloved football team. The character of Katherina is actually a metaphor for the Shrews’ rampant prowess during the 1588/89 season when they won all 46 games against Boiled Cabbage United.
The “taming” is referring to the Shrews’ eventual conquest by MK Dons in the opening day of the 1590/91 season, or something like that, I don’t know, I didn’t study Shakespeare.
Tom Walsh
