Shrewsbury Town 0, Wycombe Wanderers 0.

Wanderers’ scoring streak came to an end but they took a point to ensure an unbeaten festive period against their fellow challengers.

Blues had scored in each of their previous 16 League Two matches but they drew a blank as first met second in a goalless encounter at the New Meadow.

It was the Wycombe defence that impressed this time instead, as Wanderers became only the second team all season to come away from Shropshire with a share of the spoils.

They survived a very late scare however as substitute Andy Mangan appeared to have scored a late winner, but an offside flag came to Wanderers’ rescue and extended their unbeaten run to six.

Injury had robbed Blues of top scorer and talisman Paul Hayes, strikers Hogan Ephraim and Matt McClure and midfielders Max Kretzschmar and Danny Rowe, while the exertions from Boxing Day’s draw with Luton meant Sam Wood and Peter Murphy were fit enough only for a bench that contained just four players.

The defence remained the same as it has done for the majority of the season but in the early stages they struggled to get to grips with the Shrews’ target man James Collins. The big man clattered into Matt Ingram and forced the keeper into dropping the ball, leading to Bobby Grant having a shot charged down, before Collins streaked clear following a defence splitting pass but blazed high over the top.

That nervy start didn’t serve to be a taster of what was to come, as Wanderers’ defenders settled and got themselves in the way of every loose pass and forced a number of errors from the increasingly frustrated Shrews.

Blues grew into the game and two of the men recalled to the Wanderers team combined for their first opening of the game as Aaron Holloway headed the ball into the path of Stuart Lewis, whose daisycutter was easily fielded by Jayson Leutwiler.

A blocked header from Lewis prompted big cries of handball but referee Mark Clattenburg was unmoved, before the ball rebounded out for Josh Scowen to crack one goalwards, which was also stopped by a defender.

Shrews’ play in the final third was sloppy far too often as the Wanderers defence stood firm, with Aaron Pierre throwing himself at another Grant effort from distance and Ingram making a good punch clear from a Mickey Demetriou cross that was begging to be attacked.

Paris Cowan-Hall had to clear a Connor Goldson header from a corner off the line, before Blues broke and could have been awarded a penalty for a push on Matt Bloomfield – the midfielder instead being punished for handling the ball.

Liam Lawrence sent a free kick right on the edge of the area over the bar as the hosts went back on the offensive but the interval arrived without a goal.

The second half opened like the first had with Collins skewing a chance hopelessly high of the target after strike partner Scott Vernon had done well to hold the ball up for him.

Vernon ought to have done better however when Shrewsbury broke clear from a sustained spell of Wycombe pressure, with the forward nodding the ball wide of the target from six yards after Demetrious had sent a dangerous ball in once again.

The adventurous full back came close to opening the scoring as Josh Passley’s right wing cross was worked left by Collins for Demetriou, whose fierce effort from a tight angle whistled just the wrong side of the post.

Goldson advanced from deep before sending a wayward effort a long way wide of goal, although Blues will have been relieved neither Collins nor Vernon gambled on it.

Blues skipper Matt Bloomfield had an effort deflected narrowly wide after Leutwiler had made a meal of trying to punch clear a deep free kick, and Alfie Mawson headed the resulting corner over the bar.

The game was becoming ever more stretched and end-to-end, as Pierre blocked a Vernon shot and Ingram showed outstanding reactions to turn a Mark Ellis effort from the rebound around the post. The ball was then rammed into the net from the corner that followed, but it was disallowed for a foul on the Wanderers keeper.

Ingram made another good save to turn away an inswinging free kick from Grant, who was wayward five minutes from time as he blasted over after taking far too long to mull over his options when left unattended in the area.

Deep into stoppage time Shrewsbury thought they had a winner as a header from Mangan, who had been on for just five minutes, was somehow kept out by Ingram and the striker rammed home the rebound – only to look on in despair as an upraised linesman’s flag foiled him.

Wanderers: Ingram, Jombati, Pierre, Mawson, Jacobson, Scowen, Bloomfield (sub Murphy), Lewis, Cowan-Hall, Holloway (sub Craig), Onyedinma (sub Wood). Substitute not used: Richardson.

Attendance: 7,239 (475 from Wycombe)