Shrewsbury boss Gareth Ainsworth believes there is a ‘fear factor’ in his players after they lost 2-0 at home to fellow strugglers Burton.
Rumarn Burrell and Terence Vancooten netted inside the final 18 minutes to leave the Brewers six points behind Bristol Rovers in 20th, with bottom-side Shrews a further eight points adrift.
Ainsworth said: “First of all, set-pieces again, we have conceded from two and for me that is criminal.
“It’s a big part of League One and Two set-plays and you can’t win games if you don’t defend your set-pieces and we didn’t defend them in the last two or three games.
“There is a fear factor coming in now, I can feel it in the boys, and I have to try and alleviate that.
“They are feeling the pressure, I know that, and I can see it. Some of them have not been in this position as there are some young boys in there.
“I want to give them the message of no fear and good body language. They have got nothing to lose but they looked like they were playing a little bit within themselves and a bit careful.
“I want them to take the safety catch off; we have nothing to lose.
“As soon as we conceded, the boys looked like they were defeated and that is really disappointing.
“I was giving everything to the end on the touchline and I want them to follow.”
Burton boss Gary Bowyer saluted the fans after securing a vital victory.
He said: “It is never easy playing against one of Gareth’s teams, I have experienced that over the years.
“We had a magnificent away following who I felt really helped us in the second half with the noise they were making.
“The first half was not a classic by any stretch of the imagination but we had the best chance with Mason Bennett after he came on for Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, which was disappointing to lose him.
“We recovered in the second half from that and I thought we had the best chance again with Bennett and Burrell was back to his best today.
“I was delighted for Jon Brayford and Mack [Michael Mackin], who spend so much time doing the set plays, studying them, and we executed them brilliantly in the second half.
“We knew it might be only that and two moments and the lads have executed it with the set-play delivery, movement and timing.
“We got two good goals from them and we are a threat from set plays, we really are.”
