Cambridge United boss Neil Harris unsure of what to expect from Michael Appleton and Shrewsbury Town in League One clash at Croud Meadow

Tomorrow’s trip to Shrewsbury Town is very much a journey into the unknown for Neil Harris and his Cambridge United players.

The clash at Croud Meadow is a meeting of League One’s bottom two sides, both of whom look destined for relegation with their respective gaps to safety into double digits and only a handful of fixtures remaining.

For the hosting Shrews, it will mark a first home game in charge for Michael Appleton, who took over late last month following the departure of Gareth Ainsworth to Gillingham.

His opening two games in the dugout pitted Shrewsbury against Birmingham City and Wycombe Wanderers, and given the quality of the promotion-hunting opposition, Harris has conceded there was not too much for him to learn from a tactical standpoint.

“I think it’s been extremely tough for him (Appleton). The first two games away from home against Birmingham and Wycombe – I think he’ll be absolutely delighted to have got a point out of the first two games,” said Harris.

“How do you judge what they do and a manager that is very, very experienced on those two really tough games in a difficult moment? I don’t overly judge them on what they’ve done or look to closely into what they’ve done or how they’ve played.

“Michael will have his own ideas on what he wants to see from them in this game and in the coming weeks. And it might be very different to how they’ve looked before.

“I can’t focus on what they do. I know I’ve said that a few times, but in this insistence we definitely can’t focus on anything they do. I know a lot of their personnel as players and that’s all we can really focus on.

“What we have to be mindful of is their reaction to a new manager’s first home game. We’ll have to be fully aware of that and respond accordingly.”

Ahead of kick off Shrewsbury are three points adrift of second-from-bottom Cambridge, who have played a game more.