Shrewsbury release cheeky diss track at Bristol Rovers’ Joey Barton via TikTok

Shrewsbury Town have took to a release a cheeky diss track at Bristol Rovers’ Joey Barton via their official TikTok account.

This came just days after the two clubs faced each other on Saturday, playing out to a 1-1 League One, but was marred by a number of fans aiming abuse at Salop manager Steve Cotterill post-match.

Shrewsbury striker Ryan Bowman played the role of super-sub to perfection to rescue a point with a late equaliser at the Memorial Ground.

The visitors seemed to be heading for defeat after fellow replacement Ryan Loft had put Joey Barton’s side ahead midway through the second half, only for Bowman to pop up with an 80th-minute leveller.

It was only after the break that the game sprang into life, after a scrappy first half that saw Rovers go closest to breaking the deadlock when Harry Anderson headed Anthony Evans’ cross against Marko Marosi’s right-hand post.

The Shropshire side should have gone ahead on 66 minutes but the unmarked Tom Bayliss saw his header comfortably saved by Jamie Belshaw, following George Nurse’s inviting cross.

Tottenham academy product Loft made him pay when he slotted a low shot beyond Marko Marosi in the 68th minute – just seven minutes after entering the fray – after being superbly teed up by striker Aaron Collins.

But Bowman, who came on in the 54th minute, had the last word, knocking the ball in from close range following a goalmouth scramble to ensure a happy return to the West Country for Shrewsbury’s former Bristol City boss Steve Cotterill.

Joey Barton believed his side “should have won” against Shrewsbury Town as they had to settle for a point.

Barton said he will take heart from Shrewsbury’s tactics, but he accepts Rovers are not “anywhere near” their best form.

See what he had to say below, or watch some his his interview in the viral TikTok video below…

Shrewsbury Town’s TikTok account have gone off on Joey Barton.

Magical content. pic.twitter.com/e4dRPAC0nT

— HLTCO (@HLTCO) August 31, 2022

“(It was) a game where Shrewsbury set their stall out early and I thought it was a huge compliment to us,” Barton said. “Clearly they were nervous in their approach and I felt us the ultimate compliment by playing 5-3-1-1.

“They are a tricky team to play against due to the size that they carry in the set-piece and the long throws coming in from everywhere. They carry a lot of big bodies coming forward.

“I don’t think we were anywhere near our best. A great moment from Aaron Collins to make the goal for Lofty and I thought it was a good finish from Ryan.

“It gets us in the ascendancy and we were guilty of absorbing too much pressure and not clearing our lines and while there was always a chance of getting back in it, they were loading the box and playing no-risk football because they’re chasing the game.

“You’ve got to defend your box better and we didn’t manage to do that.

“We’re gutted we didn’t take maximum points and, for me, it’s another point on the board, it’s another point towards survival and I can’t expect the lads to fire on all cylinders at this moment because we’re a number of bodies short.”

The Gas remain 15th in the table after the draw, with seven points from their opening six games. Shrewsbury are in 20th with six points.

Barton made it clear he wasn’t a fan of opposing manager Steve Cotterill’s strategy with a some elongated breaks in play producing frustration in the stands too, but the manager acknowledged that Rovers should have found a way to overcome the challenge.

“That’s part of their strategy and Steve has been coaching for a long time, but I’m not sure I’d come out on a Saturday afternoon if that’s what I was coaching. Stay in the house and watch Liverpool win 9-0 on the telly and watch a creative expression of the game,” he said. “I don’t get it, especially as he’s in his 60s, Steve. Is that all you’ve been taught in the game? Is that it?

“But we’ve got to find solutions to break them down and beat them. You don’t get any points for style and we aren’t free-flowing like Barcelona like we were last year at the moment. It’s going to be tricky if teams come in and just camp in their half and they don’t show very much ambition.

“I have to take it as a compliment for our group that they were that fearful of us. If I was going as an established League One club to a newly-promoted club from League Two, I’m telling you I would be taking them on. That’s for Shrewsbury and Steve and that’s probably why they’ve only won six in 20-odd. I don’t think they will get any points for style and you’ve got to remember that players don’t want to play in in that.

“You end up with players who are desperate and they will sign for your club, but I was speaking to Luke Leahy there and I’m like ‘Why don’t you come back and play football?’ He’s a good footballer and he’s playing centre-mid and I never saw him as a centre-mid and I never saw Taylor Moore as a centre-mid, but some of these League One managers are converting centre-halves and left-backs into centre-midfielders.

“Maybe they know something we don’t, but we’ve got to be smarter, bring some players in and we need to create more. We should’ve won that game today and I fancy it is one of the games we will look back at over the course of the season saying we should have taken maximum points.”