It was Thierry Gale’s time to shine as Wanderers successfully moved past another staging post en route to the new campaign, writes Pete Oliver.
The summer signing lit up the Croud Meadow with a performance full of promise as the Whites made it four wins in a row in their pre-season programme.
Gale set the ball rolling with a stunning opening strike as he and teenager Daeshon Lawrence both scored their first goals in a Wanderers’ shirt before Josh Dacres-Cogley made it 3-0 at the break.
An own-goal and a sizzling second goal in eight days from Max Conway added to the tally in the second half – in between the frustration of conceding for the first time in public this summer after the Shrews pulled one back early in the second half and with the last kick of the game.
Preston North End on Saturday will provide a more acid test of Wanderers’ credentials as their League One challenge approaches. But backing up Saturday’s success at Scottish top-flight side Hibernian with a five-star showing against lower ranked EFL opposition was another step in the right direction.
Schumacher mixed things up again from the start as Wanderers returned to the venue where the Whites’ head coach had enjoyed his first away win as Bolton boss.
There have been a multitude of changes since that February afternoon with one of the latest the signing of Gale.
The winger has made a positive impression since his arrival from Austria and continued that as Wanderers played their final away game before the real thing starts at Stockport County in less than a fortnight’s time.
Shrewsbury have narrowed their pitch since relegation to League Two but still couldn’t contain the flying Barbadian.
He was too hot to handle for the Shrews, who even in a friendly had Sam Stubbs and Jack Loughran booked for trying to impede him.
Gale had Wanderers’ first attempt at goal and then after Szabi Schön had been denied by Town keeper Toby Savin – Lawrence sending the rebound wide – opened the scoring with a stunning strike 20 minutes in.
Cutting in off the left flank, Gale carried the ball with his right foot before curling a beauty into the top corner to register his first goal for the club.
Bar a fleeting chance for Harrison Biggins it was pretty much all Wanderers and before half an hour had gone they had doubled their lead.
Lawrence will have been disappointed not to see his earlier effort bounce into the net but this time he showed excellent finishing after showing the strength to spin off his defender and then locate the bottom corner from just outside the box.
Schön could have made it three but sent his chip just wide after bursting clear and Joel Randall also wasted some lovely footwork when he clipped an effort wide after being picked out by Max Conway and dancing his way towards goal.
There was still time for a third goal before the break, though, as Josh Dacres-Cogley got himself on the scoresheet with a crisp drive on the turn into the roof of the net after a corner had been nodded down to the right-back who was lurking on the penalty spot.
Wanderers were unchanged at the start of the second half but were slower to get into their stride, conceding a first goal in four games when Town substitute Callum Stewart – arguably the smallest man on the pitch – nodded home following a corner.
Stung by that, Gale quickly helped restore the three-goal margin as he again gave the Shrews’ defence the slip before firing in a cross which was deflected into his own net at the near post by Biggins.
The wideman then almost claimed another of his own with an effort clawed out by substitute goalkeeper Elyh Harrison before his outstanding evening’s work was ended by Schumacher’s first changes from the bench.
Lawrence almost got a second, too, with a shot well saved by Harrison as Wanderers restored their grip but on another good night for the youngsters Conway again made his mark with an excellent solo effort to wrap up the scoring.
Collecting the ball in his own half, the left-back weaved his way through the home defence before showing the composure to roll the ball into the bottom corner and put the seal on another polished work-out, diminished only slightly when Will Gray scored with the final kick after further wholesale changes.
Shrewsbury: Savin; Stubbs, Anderson, Nurse; Loughran, Gilliead, Biggins, Benning; England; Lloyd, Mata. Substitutes used: Harrison, Nsiala, Stewart, Marquis, Hoole,. Perry, Cairns, Morris, Lucas, Gray.
Booked: Stubbs, Loughran
Wanderers: Sharman-Lowe; Dacres-Cogley (Osei-Tutu 80), Toal (Inwood 80), Forino (Johnston 74), Conway (Rice 80); Sheehan (Sharples 80), Simons (Morley 63); Schön (Cozier-Duberry 74), Randall (McAtee 74), Gale (Mendes Gomes 63); Lawrence (Abimbola 74). Substitutes:
Referee: Ollie Yates
Attendance: 1,674 (324 Wanderers)