SURPRISE package Filipe Morais has been dubbed “The Postman” at Wanderers because he always delivers.

Picked up for nothing after his release at Bradford City, it is hard to imagine a better piece of business has been done anywhere in the Football League this season.

No player in all four divisions has been involved in more goals than Morais in 2017, and his two key contributions at Shrewsbury Town helped turn this awkward 90 minutes into another party in the Shropshire sunshine.

Mark Beevers and Adam Le Fondre got the goals but once again it was the “Assist King” who captured the imagination, putting a stamp of class on an otherwise uninspiring game.

It was fitting that Under-23s coach David Lee was in the stands to watch Morais tear down the touchline in the same way he did back in the day.

When Wanderers were last trying to get out of this division in 1993, his arrival helped transform Bruce Rioch’s side into genuine promotion contenders and that is exactly how we should regard Phil Parkinson’s class of 2017.

Lee’s wing wizardry helped Andy Walker and John McGinlay fill their boots in front of goal and though this side do not have a strike pairing of that pedigree, others are certainly coming to the fore.

But to have a consistent supply from the right must be manna from heaven for a goal poacher like Le Fondre, or a pair of goal-hungry centre-halves like Beevers and David Wheater.

This win came at a cost for the Whites, who went into the game with four players in doubt because of injury, and left with three completely different headaches.

Gary Madine was forced off early on with a groin problem, having tried to play through the pain, but there was no chance for either Andy Taylor or goalkeeper Ben Alnwick, whose seasons could be in doubt now because of calf and knee issues, respectively.

Beevers, Le Fondre and Darren Pratley had patched themselves up sufficiently to take the field but, in truth, the toll taken by long away grinds at Oxford and Gillingham was there for all to see.

It wasn’t fluent. Wanderers have been direct this season but without Madine to aim at midway through the first half they struggled for a while to find a Plan B.

Shrewsbury’s attempts to go direct played into the hands of Beevers, Wheater and Dorian Dervite – who was quite outstanding on the right side of the back three.

When the Salop men played along the floor and utilised clever pairing Louis Dodds and Tyler Roberts they looked a very different prospect, and their ingenuity did cause a few nervous flutters in the Bolton penalty box.

Alnwick made one clawing save from under his own bar, while at the other end Jayson Leutwiler dropped Morais’s corner, sparking the first real moment of panic at the back for the home defence.

Madine’s exit left Chris Long to play up front with Le Fondre and – for the first half at least – they struggled to play to the on-loan Burnley’s man’s strengths.

Just six minutes after half time, the nervousness was settled. Morais hurled a long throw from the right, Beevers flicked the ball on, and Leutwiler had gone completely AWOL, turning just in time to see it bounce slowly over the line.

Alnwick was proving more reliable at the other end, making a handy stop from Deegan’s low shot and then snatching a cross at the second attempt from under the waiting left boot of Dodds.

Taylor’s slow exit with a calf pull left Dean Moxey to continue his solid work down the left – and the experienced defender put in an important shift.

Shrewsbury’s resolve was broken on 65 minutes when Morais hustled possession on the right and out-paced Adam El-Abd, dragging an inviting cross just behind Long – but crucially straight to Le Fondre to bury at the far post.

A few moments before the goal Alnwick had made a brave punch in front of Freddie Ladapo, at which point he must have injured himself. He became the third Wanderer to limp off but his replacement Mark Howard hardly had a save to make.

Dervite’s level of serene calm on the ball reflected how in-control Wanderers actually were. The Frenchman diffused danger time and time again with the minimum of fuss and – whisper it quietly – actually outshone defensive golden boys Wheater and Beevers.

His return to the side has been yet another success story, indeed, everywhere you look right now there are encouraging signs.

This was Parkinson’s 22nd victory in 39 league games since he arrived at the club from Bradford. Before him, the club had managed 22 in their last 100 attempts.

This was the first time Wanderers had strung four away wins together since early 2001, when Sam Allardyce led another unfashionable side into the Premier League with a brand of football which didn’t necessarily please the style police.

Parkinson is doing things his way. While his side’s fearsome reputation at set pieces is well-deserved, there is nothing brutal or industrial about some of Josh Vela’s clever touches in midfield or the raw pace of Long up front.

This wasn’t pretty. But more than 1,500 fans lapped up every moment and continued to do so well into the night.

Wanderers need 16 more points from seven games to be mathematically assured of promotion, then the party can begin. But until then, we can all just enjoy the ride.