Birthday boy Eoin Toal inspired another successful fightback before John McAtee struck twice to wrap up the win which lifted Wanderers back to within goal difference of the play-off places, writes Pete Oliver.
For the second Saturday running Wanderers trailed to a side scrapping for survival.
But once again Steven Schumacher’s men showed their desire – and ultimately their quality – to hit back and boost their goal tally with a fourth win in five League One games.
Toal celebrated his 26th birthday with a crucial equaliser on the hour as the stand-in captain stepped up to level the scores.
And the Whites never looked back after that as they then powered to victory thanks to the clinical finishing of McAtee, who put himself within a goal of double figures for the season.
McAtee fired Wanderers ahead shortly after Toal’s leveller and then made sure of a seventh away success – and first under Schumacher – when he rammed home a low cross from Szabi Schön to give Whites the breathing space to survive an injury-time second from the Shrews and added momentum to their renewed push under the new head coach.
Wanderers gave starts to fit-again top scorer Aaron Collins, Gethin Jones, George Johnston and Jay Matete in four changes to the side that had beaten Crawley Town in another comeback a week ago as Schumacher looked to combat the challenge of a Shrewsbury side battling hard to beat the drop.
Gareth Ainsworth’s side was unbeaten in its four previous home games and could count promotion favourites Birmingham City and Wrexham among their scalps at the Croud Meadow Stadium.
The Shrews certainly started like an in-form side with Wanderers forced to do most of the defending and grateful for the presence of Johnston, who won a couple of key headers – at the expense of a blood injury at one point – as the hosts pressured the Whites’ penalty area.
From one Johnston clearance Luca Hoole wasn’t far wide with the first effort of the afternoon and with 20 minutes gone Shrewsbury deservedly took the lead.
John Marquis rattled the bar from Alex Gilliead’s low cross and Vadaine Oliver marked his first start since signing on loan from Bradford City by stooping to nod in the rebound and put Wanderers on the back foot.
It took a while for Schumacher’s men to mount a response but as they wound it up going into the break they looked a threat for the first time.
Aaron Morley began to impose himself on the contest and with Shrewsbury being gradually forced back, Collins delivered an excellent cross for McAtee, whose goalbound header was well touched over the top by towering Town keeper Jamal Blackman to keep his side in front at half-time.
The interval brought a change with Johnston succumbing an earlier knock and Alex Murphy therefore moving inside to allow Jordi Osei-Tutu to fill the left wing-back role.
And Schumacher was just about to make a further double switch with an hour approaching when Toal pulled his side back into the game. Just when they needed someone to seize the initiative, Toal took it on himself to stride forward and test Blackman and from 30 yards the Wanderers’ defender won the contest with a low strike which bounced into the bottom corner.
That changed the momentum and within five minutes the Whites were in front with a second goal in front of the packed away end.
This time Toal was credited with the assist as he picked out McAtee, who showed excellent footwork on the edge of the penalty area to work an opening and then guide a perfect finish beyond Blackman to claim his eighth goal of the season.
The momentum was all with Wanderers now and they made their superiority pay with a vital third goal 11 minutes from the end of normal time.
One of the Whites’ best moves of the afternoon ended with Morley teeing up substitute Schön to pull the back towards the penalty spot where McAtee – who started his career at Shrewsbury – timed his run perfectly to meet the ball with a low strike swept sweetly into the bottom corner.
That was effectively job done with the two-goal buffer then a welcome one thanks to Shrewsbury’s injury time header from Hoole which made the travelling fans wait a few seconds longer to celebrate but did nothing to slow Wanderers’ play-off push.
Wanderers: Southwood; Toal, Forrester, Johnston (Osei-Tutu, HT); Jones, Matete (Forino 89), Morley, Murphy; Randall (Schön 64), McAtee (Adeboyejo 89); Collins (Sheehan 64). Substitutes: Baxter, Dacres-Cogley.
Booked: Matete, Sheehan, Jones
Shrewsbury Town: Blackman; Hoole, J Feeney, M Feeney, Benning; Gape (Stewart 71), Ojo; Gilliead (Dinanga 83) Marquis (Nsiala, 83),Taylor (Shipley HT); Oliver (Biggins 71). Substitutes: Savin, Nurse.
Booked: Hoole, Gilliead
Referee: James Durkin
Attendance: 8,613 1,622 (Bolton)