Stevenage ended a troubled week on a high as they put in an impressive performance to inflict only the third defeat this season on a lacklustre Shrewsbury side.
Both sides aimed to establish their play-off credentials and this was to prove an important clash, but it began as a comedy of errors as poor play from both sides gifted a number of chances.
Shrewsbury had the best of the early efforts with Dave Ridler firing over from close range while on ten minutes the ever lively Luke Rodgers drove a free-kick straight at keeper Lionel Perez.
Stevenage's Dino Maamria came close on 13 minutes with an effort that was charged down and it was a prelude to further chances for the home side as Maamria twice came close again, while Simon Wormull drove a free-kick over the bar when he should have got closer on 24 minutes.
The introduction of Simon Travis on 39 minutes appeared to make all the difference to Stevenage and two minutes later they were ahead when Maamria fired a neat strike just inside the far post after the visitors' defence had been cut apart by a move which involved link-up play between Travis and Wormull.
The home side had two further chances before the break but a Maamria header which came back off the bar was ruled offside, while Danny Carroll forced a fine block from keeper Scott Howie in added time.
The second half began with much of the same as Shrewsbury failed to find a way through and Stevenage looked to have made the points certain on 61 minutes when a sharp cross in from the left by Elding was met by a rasping drive from Simon Wormull on the edge of the box slammed high into the roof of the net.
The visitors finally got their act together in the final 20 minutes and it was Rodgers who looked likely to do the damage as he blasted over from close range following a Ryan Lowe cross on 69 minutes.
Five minutes later he fired across the face of goal after good work down the Stevenage left flank.
But the visitors failed to show that killer instinct and it will be Stevenage who will be hoping to capitalise on this victory as they go into Saturday's eagerly awaited FA Cup clash at home to Stockport County.