Lost in the shuffle of this weekend's...um...activities up north is Arsenal's third round Carling Cup draw: the Gunners will face League Two Shrewsbury Town FC at the Emirates during the week of September 19.
The Shrews (or Salop, the Latin name for Shropshire) have never had tremendous success; since election to the League in 1950, they have been in the bottom three divisions. The closest they've come to success in England is reaching the semifinals of the League Cup in 1961. They have won the Welsh Cup on numerous occasions (despite being located in England), and have reached the quarterfinals of the FA Cup twice, in 1979 and 1982. [If you count the time I played as Shrewsbury in FIFA 08, they have actually won promotion to the Premier League and won the FA Cup behind strong play from Julio Baptista, Bojan, and Nicklas Bendtner].
Shrewsbury are led by manager Graham Turner, who managed the team from 1978-1984 as well, before spells at Aston Villa and Wolverhampton. Joe Hart is a local lad who started his career with Shrews before signing with City in 2006. They have started their season in excellent form with four wins, two draws, and one loss in their first seven fixtures. Marvin Morgan, their no. 10, has scored four goals so far.
And if nothing else, Shrewsbury will always have Harry Shearer wearing their kit in This Is Spinal Tap.