Salop make the short trip across the Midlands today to take on Premier League Wolves.

The hosts will look to build on a first league win of the season last weekend, while Town will want to kickstart their year with an FA Cup upset.

Here’s everything you need to know about this afternoon's opponents.  

Key Players 

18-year-old Mateus Mane is the man of the moment for Wolves. The forward has scored goals in his last two games after being given a starting role in recent weeks by Rob Edwards.

The Premier League side has struggled to find a star man this season, with last season’s top scorer Jorgen Strand Larsen failing to emulate his form from his debut campaign. Hwang Hee-Chan grabbed his second of what has been a disappointing season in last weekend’s 3-0 win against West Ham, and Rob Edwards will hope this provides him with the confidence to continue scoring.  

It is unclear what kind of side Edwards is likely to put out on Saturday. Wolves have built momentum in recent weeks, and he may want to capitalise on it and keep in-form players in the side. Of course, he may also want to rest them and assess his other options.  

The Manager 

Wolves manager Rob Edwards is a man with plenty of local connections. The former centre-back was born in Telford and spent his early career in the Midlands, playing for both Aston Villa and Wolves.  

His career was cut short in 2013, with his last professional appearance actually being in blue and amber. He played just four games for Salop in a loan spell before picking up a hamstring injury. Several months later, he would call an end to his playing career.  

Shortly after retirement, Edwards found his way into management, with his first full-time role being at Telford. Despite impressing with his style of play, he found little success at The Bucks Head and disappeared from club football for three years after just a year in charge.  

He would then reappear at Forest Green, guiding the team to the League Two title in the 2021/22 season. His biggest achievement came in 2023 when he guided Luton Town to the Premier League via the play-offs.  

After a brief spell at Middlesbrough, Edwards signed for Wolves on November 12th, with the club sitting bottom of the Premier League.  

Form  

Wolves find themselves in a perilous position at the bottom of the Premier League, but there has been some cause for optimism in recent weeks.

After seven consecutive losses, Rob Edwards appears to have steadied the ship somewhat, with Wolves picking up five points in their last three games.

They secured their first league win of the season last weekend, defeating West Ham 3-0 at Molineux, before picking up a 1-1 draw away at Everton on Wednesday.  

Head-to-Head Record  

Today's clash will be the 13th time Shrewsbury and Wolves have met in a competitive fixture. The two teams shared a league for periods during the 1980s but have largely been kept apart. Wolves have narrowly had the better of us over the years, winning five games to our three, with four ending in a draw.