MATTY Taylor is braced for the challenge posed by one of Sky Bet League One’s meanest defences tomorrow.

Shrewsbury Town are 17th in the table, but no team outside the top two has conceded fewer than their 35 goals against.

The Shropshire side have kept three clean sheets in a row and experience tells Taylor they will be difficult to breach, despite United claiming 3-2 wins on their last three visits to Montgomery Waters Meadow.

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The striker said: “They’re always really hard to score against at our place, let alone their place.

“They always seem to have a really good shape, they work for each other really well and they’re quite resolute.

“I know we had the 3-2 win there, but a few of those goals were late and we have to wear them down.

“You don’t want to go 1-0 behind, but if you do we’ve got goals in us right until the end.”

Shrewsbury’s issue is at the other end of the pitch, with only the bottom three scoring fewer than their 31 League One goals this season.

United have found the net 71 times in the third tier alone and Taylor says it is a fun club to be around.

The No 9 added: “There are always smiles around the training ground, but you can always get better.

“We play good football at times and we know we make silly errors at times, but that’s why we’re playing in League One.

“There are lads with ambitions of playing a lot higher and lads who have played higher.

“It’s a great group of lads and a brilliant blend of blokes.

“We’ve all got the same aim to win as many games as possible.”

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The latest triumph came against Burton Albion last Saturday, as four first-half goals secured a 4-1 win.

Taylor’s spectacular volley brought up a host of personal milestones, including 20 goals for the season and 50 for the U’s in the Football League – taking his overall tally to 100.

And the manner of the strike drew comparisons with a famous forward.

He said: “Longy (Sam Long) was shouting ‘Van Basten’ at me and I was like ‘get away’.

“I scanned the box and saw Sam (Baldock) running in and was going to touch and deliver.

“The longer it hung in the air I thought: ‘3-0, I may as well join the party’.

“I don’t hit many like that, but as soon as it left my foot I knew it had a chance and it flew in.”