Kevin Ratcliffe's battling Shrews kick-started their season back to life after two successive defeats with this hard-earned win over Leyton Orient.
Both sides were depleted by Under-21 call ups. Shrewsbury's Jamie Tolley and Darren Moss were on duty with Wales in Finland. Ciaran Toner was on under-21 duty for Northern Ireland and was replaced in the starting line up by Jamal Campbell-Ryce.
Shrewsbury's Jason van Blerk replaced Mick Heathcote in central defence with Jason Drysdale coming in at right-back and Peter Wilding and Karl Murray in midfield for Tolley and the injured Ian Woan.
Shrewsbury youngsters, Richard Harris and Ross Stephens made their debuts on the bench.
In the fifth minute Orient drew first blood. Carl Hutchings was brought down a couple of yards outside the penalty box and Matthew Lockwood curled in the resultant free-kick past the despairing Ian Dunbavin.
Only a desperate goal-line clearance by star man Matt Redmile prevented the O's going 2-0 up in the eighth minute as Lee Thorpe closed in on a Matt Brazier cross.
Shrewsbury slowly clawed their way back into the game and captain Nigel Jemson stirred the home crowd with a fine shot from a free-kick which went wide in the 33rd minute.
Orient responded immediately and the impressive Brazier's shot was smartly saved by Dunbavin.
In the 45th minute Hutchings' piledriver stung Dunbavin's hands, but the keeper hung on.
Ratcliffe's decision at half time to switch van Blerk into midfield paid immediate dividends.
Within 21 seconds of the restart Shrewsbury had equalised through Luke Rodgers, who claimed his sixth goal of the season with a smart header from a cross by Lowe following good work by van Blerk.
In the 59th minute Lowe nearly lobbed Rhys Evans as the keeper was stranded in no man's line but the Londoners cleared their lines.
Thorpe, who had been booked for dissent late on in the first half, fouled van Blerk in the 65th minute and received a second yellow card.
Sustained Shrewsbury pressure which saw two corners inside a minute paid off in the 76th minute when Jemson coolly slotted in Drysdale's right-wing cross to claim his fourth goal of the season.
In the 89th minute slack defensive work by Dean Smith almost handed Rodgers another goal, but Evans was alive to the danger.
Shrewsbury held on to pull off a fine comeback following a wretched first-half display