Defensive form is key - Shrewsbury's Cansdell-Sherriff

Cansdell-Sherriff played three seasons in Denmark

Shrewsbury's Shane Cansdell-Sherriff has pinpointed his central defensive partnership with Ian Sharps as key to the club's League Two play-offs bid.

Town kept clean sheets in their last five league games to miss automatic promotion by just one place.

"We read each other well and we're confident in each other," said the 28-year-old Australian.

"The whole back four plus Ben Smith in goal are solid. We're the team in form which is good for the play-offs."

Cansdell-Sherriff has played all but seven of Shrewsbury's league games this season, while his central defensive partner Sharps has missed just three matches.

Team captain Sharps swept the board at the club's presentation night, but Cansdell-Sherriff is happy to stay out of the limelight.

"Sharpsy is an influential captain and the best one we've had here, on and off the pitch," he told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"But I've been very happy with my season. It's one of my most consistent."

Cansdell-Sherriff started his British career at Leeds but failed to make a first-team start, so moved to Denmark for three seasons with Aarhus.

He returned to England in 2006 to join Tranmere, spending two years there before moving to Shrewsbury - where he is contracted until the summer of 2012.

And he will be using his experience to help some of the younger members of the Shrewsbury Town squad cope with the pressure of the play-offs.

"Some of the young ones haven't been on the play-off stage before," he said.

"They'll get my support and that of all the senior players, and we'll make sure they're all right."

The Shrews travel to Torquay on Saturday for the first leg of their play-off semi-final, kick-off 1745 BST.