Shrewsbury Town

hrewsbury Town Football Club started in the local divisions of Shropshire, Birmingham, and the Midlands before gaining Football League status in 1950. The 2024/25 season is the club’s tenth consecutive year in League One and they have spent 12 of the previous 13 seasons in the division.

The club play their home fixtures at The Croud Meadow and have an average attendance this season of just over 5,800.

Shrewsbury Town Updates

This is Shrewsbury Town’s tenth consecutive season in League One and achieved their best finish of third in 2017/18. Since then, Salop have more often than not been battling relegation and find themselves deeply rooted in a relegation fight this season.

The club’s three top performers this season have all been defenders, in the shape of Josh Feeney, Luca Hoole and Mal Benning. Benning has chipped in with four assists while Feeney and Hoole have a goal and an assist between them.

Shrewsbury Town Transfer News & Rumours

Despite the influx of players over the summer, the change of manager means Shrewsbury are likely to be in the market for more new additions in the January transfer window.

Barrow defender Theo Vassell is rumoured to be on Ainsworth’s wanted list. The 28-year-old has represented Salford City, Macclesfield Town and Gateshead, among others, during his career.

Shrewsbury Town Signings

Shrewsbury had a very busy summer with no fewer than 16 players joining the football club, all being either free transfers or loan deals. Three players joined from Bristol Rovers with John Marquis, Luca Hoole and Jordan Rossiter all swapping Bristol for Shropshire. Three goalkeepers have joined the club, with Toby Savin and Luke Young joining in the summer and Jamal Blackman joining in December.

Player	Age	Nationality	Left	Fee	Contract Duration
Alex Gilliead	28	England	Bradford City League Two	Free	2 Years
Harrison Biggins	28	England	Doncaster Rovers League Two	Free	2 Years
Luca Hoole	22	Wales	Bristol Rovers League One	Free	2 Years
Toto Nsiala	32	Congo Wales	Burton Albion League One	Free	2 Years
George Lloyd	24	England	Cheltenham Town League Two	Free	2 Years
John Marquis	32	England	Bristol Rovers League One	Free	2 Years
Joe Young	21	England	Wolverhampton Wanderers U21 Premier League 2	Free	1 Year
Leo Castledine	19	England	Chelsea U21 Premier League 2	Loan	1 Year
Josh Feeney	19	England	Aston Villa U21 Premier League 2	Loan	1 Year
Funso Ojo	33	Belgium	Port Vale League Two	Loan	1 Year
Jamal Blackman	31	England	Without Club	Free	Unknown

Shrewsbury Town Key Matches

Shrewsbury Town are entrenched in a relegation battle that is going to take an incredible run of form and upturn in fortunes to win. Their most important fixtures will be against those teams around them and in the places above them, not against the likes of Birmingham City and Wrexham who will be most people’s favourites to win those matches. Home form could be vital for Salop’s survival, and by Easter, every match could be a must-win.

Games against surprising strugglers Peterborough United and Bristol Rovers will be key to dragging back some points on those above and games against teams in a similar perilous situation such as Burton Albion could provide a much needed three points.

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Shrewsbury Town’s Key Achievements

Shrewsbury Town were admitted to the Football League in 1950 and achieved promotion from the Fourth Division in 1959 before going on to win the Third Division in 1979.

Having lost their Football League status in 2003, the Shrews regained their place in League Two thanks to a Conference playoff win. They would gain automatic to League One in 2012 having suffered two playoff final defeats in 2007 and 2009. After being relegated back to the basement division, automatic promotion was again achieved in 2015.

• Welsh Cup Winners 1890/91, 1937/38, 1976/77, 1978/79, 1983/84, 1984/85
• Third Division Champions 1978/79
• Division Three Champions 1993/94
• Conference Promotion Play-Off Winners 2003/04

Shrewsbury Town’s Current Squad

Shrewsbury Town’s first team squad is a mixture of youth and experience, with the likes of 31-year-old Aaron Pierre appearing alongside 19-year-old Josh Feeney. Over the summer, under the previous manager Paul Hurst, the squad was almost completely overhauled.

Shrewsbury Town Attackers

Aside from the experience of John Marquis, Salop has a young forward line that includes Josh Kayode, George Lloyd and Tom Bloxham. Former Portsmouth striker Marquis has close to 100 League One goals to his name and has scored over 150 in his career.

Josh Kayode is on loan in Shropshire from Rother United but has failed to find the net in the league so far this season. The Republic of Ireland Under 21 international has represented multiple clubs in loan spells away from the Millers. Chesterfield, MK Dons, Gateshead and Carlisle United have all had Kayode with them for temporary spells.

Marquis, Lloyd and Bloxham are leading the club’s scoring charts with four goals a piece.

Shrewsbury Town Midfielders

Gareth Ainsworth has plenty of experience available to him in the middle of the park, with on-loan Chelsea youngster Leo Casteldine able to learn from seasoned pros such as Carl Winchester, Funso Ojo and Jack Price.

They are joined in the midfield by former Bradford City player Alex Gilliead and former Liverpool youngster Jordan Rossiter. Taylor Perry and Jordan Shipley make up the midfield options for the Shrews.

Shrewsbury Town Defenders

Defender Mal Benning has been one of the club’s top performers this season, chipping in with one goal and four assists. Everton academy graduate and former Ipswich Town man Toto Nsiala is joined in the defensive ranks by Grenada international Aaron Pierre and former Bristol City man George Nurse.

Morgan Feeney is another Everton academy graduate in the back line and he has played 22 times so far this season. Feeney is joined by his namesake Josh who is on loan from Aston Villa and Welshman Luca Hoole, who joined Salop in the summer from Bristol Rovers.

Shrewsbury Town Goalkeepers

Ainsworth has acted quickly to improve his goalkeeping department, bringing in Jamal Blackman on a free transfer having worked with the 31-year-old at Wycombe Wanderers in 2016/17. The former Exeter City stopper has been an ever-present since signing in December.

Before Blackman arrived, Toby Savin had been the number one choice between the sticks but his performance levels dropped following the win over Birmingham City and has had to make do with a place on the bench since.

Young keeper Joe Young is the third member of the first-team goalkeeping unit but is yet to make an appearance. He came through the ranks at Wolverhampton Wanderers and has played matches in non-league football with Dartford, Telford and Buxton.

Shrewsbury Town Manager & Coaching Staff

Gareth Ainsworth took charge of Shrewsbury Town in November 2024, bringing trusted assistant Richard Dobson with him. The pair are joined by first-team coach Sean Parrish and goalkeeping coach Brian Jensen.

Gareth Ainsworth – Manager

Gareth Ainsworth joined in November 2023 having last been in charge of Championship outfit Queens Park Rangers. The 51-year-old made a name for himself in managerial circles across a nearly 10-year spell at Wycombe Wanderers.

He helped rescue the club from relegation from the Football League and eventually led them to promotion to English football’s second tier, the Championship.

Richard Dobson – Assistant Manager

Richard Dobson has been Gareth Ainsworth’s right-hand man for over a decade, working with him from his time as Wycombe caretaker to QPR and now with Shrewsbury.

Dobson’s playing career was cut short due to injury but he has worked at Brentford under the likes of Steve Coppell before ending up at Wycombe and working alongside his current boss.

Sean Parrish – First Team Coach

Sean Parrish is a vastly experienced coach who has held roles at AFC Telford, Northampton Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers prior to his arrival at Shrewsbury in the summer of 2023.

During his playing career, Parrish turned out for Shrewsbury, albeit briefly, and represented AFC Telford, Doncaster Rovers, Northampton Town, Chesterfield and Kidderminster Harriers before ending his playing days back at Telford.

Brian Jensen – Goalkeeper Coach

Brian Jensen is best known in England for his time with Burnley, where he made over 300 appearances. Jensen also represented Bury, Crawley Town and Mansfield Town having moved to West Bromwich Albion from AZ Alkmaar, before ending his playing career in Northern Ireland with Crusaders.

The 49-year-old has spent time after his playing career on the coaching staff at Bury before joining Shrewsbury Town in 2019.

Shrewsbury Town’s Former Managers

Gareth Ainsworth is the current incumbent of the managerial hot seat at Shrewsbury Town he is looking to rescue the club from relegation to the fourth tier. Before the former Wycombe Wanderers boss took charge, the Shrews have had four permanent managers since the start of the decade.

• Paul Hurst was the manager who Ainsworth replaced and he was in his second spell as Shrewsbury Town manager. Hurst lasted 14 League One matches this season before being replaced after just two wins and two draws. His second spell in charge of Salop lasted 37 matches and brought seven wins and 22 defeats.
• Matthew Taylor was appointed Shrewsbury Town manager in July 2023 after gaining experience with Walsall. He would oversee just 35 games, winning 13 and losing 19.
• Steve Cotterill was manager at the Shrews from November 2020 to June 2023. The former Birmingham City boss oversaw 117 Salop matches and won 41 of those, suffering defeat 51 times.
• Sam Ricketts was given the Shrewsbury job in December 2018 after a 23-game spell in charge of National League side Wrexham. He would be in charge of 96 matches and achieve 28 wins. Ricketts has not managed another club since leaving Salop in November 2020.

Shrewsbury Town Legends

Ian Atkins

He joined Shrewsbury Town as an apprentice before signing as a professional in 1975. He was in the Shrews first team for seven years before moving on to Sunderland. During his time with the club, Atkins made over 300 appearances and helped the club achieve two promotions from the Fourth Division to the Second.

Jim Bannister

Jim joined Shrewsbury Town back in 1952 and represented the club for six years, making over 230 appearances during a difficult spell for the club.

Chic Bates

Bates represented Shrewsbury Town as both a player and a manager, helping the club to get promoted to the Third Division. Phillip Bates, known as Chic, scored 17 times during that promotion-winning season. After returning for a second spell in 1980, he would go on to manage the club from 1984 to 1987 and would again return in the late 1990s.

Eric Brodie

He joined Shrewsbury Town in 1963 from Dundee United and would spend his entire five-year spell with the club in the Third Division. Brodie made close to 200 appearances for the Shrews before leaving for Chester.

Shrewsbury Town Team Metrics & Performance

Shrewsbury Town has not enjoyed the best of seasons so far but has seen a slight upturn in fortunes since the arrival of new manager Gareth Ainsworth. Salop still has a huge task to avoid being relegated to League Two as they are firmly in the drop zone, currently eight points from safety.

Defensively, the Shrews have one of the worst records in the league for goals conceded and the worst record for the amount of clean sheets they have kept. Shrewsbury is averaging a goal scored every game but is one of the least creative sides in the division, having less than three shots per game on average.

Last season saw yet another relegation fight for Salop, avoiding the drop by just four points. The 2023/24 season was a drop from what they had achieved in the 2022/23 campaign. That season had seen Steve Cotterill lead the Shrews to a 12th-place finish with 59 points.

The club have spent the last two decades in League One and Two. They had dropped out of the Football League in the early 2000s but managed to bounce back at the first attempt. Salop’s highest-ever League position is the 8th place they managed in Division 2 during two seasons in the mid-1980s.

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Shrewsbury Town Pitch & Amenities

The Croud Meadow, sometimes referred to as The New Meadow, has been Shrewsbury’s home since 2007 and it was built to replace their home of 97 years, Gat Meadow. As well as hosting Shrewsbury Town, the Croud Meadow has also played host to the home Europa Conference League matches for Welsh side The New Saints.

Building the new stadium cost over £11 million and it has a capacity of 9,875, including around 500 safe-standing places. The pitch is natural grass and the stadium has played host to Women’s international football as England beat Spain 1-0 in 2007 thanks to a Karen Carney goal.

The stadium is complete with bars, hospitality boxes and a club shop as well as adjoining training pitches. There are also function rooms and offices for use when there is no football being played and space for over 600 cars on site.

Shrewsbury Town Fanbase & Support

Shrewsbury Town have a small but dedicated support, averaging around 5,800 fans for their home League One matches.

Some supporter groups include:

• Shrewsbury Town Official Supporters Club – offer away travel and run an online shop for supporters to purchase memberships. You can find them here.
• Proud Salopians – aim to be a welcoming and inclusive group for all LGBTQ+ communities and allies. Their main goal is to bring the LGBTQ+ communities of Shrewsbury Town Football Club together, highlight the diversity of the club and increase LGBTQ+ visibility. Their website can be found here.

Shrewsbury Town Rivalries & Notable Matches

Traditionally, Shrewsbury Town has had rivalries with several teams including Telford, Chester and Hereford.

However, many supporters suggest Wrexham and Walsall as the main rivals for the club in the Football League. The rivalries have changed depending on the decade, with the 1950s and 60s seeing Walsall as the main rival but Wrexham taking that title in the 1970s and 80s.

One of the memorable fixtures against Wrexham for Salop fans was the 1979 Welsh Cup final, a match that saw the Shrews add the cup to their promotion as Third Division champions.

Shrewsbury played Wrexham twice in 2024, losing both times—first in the FA Cup and then 3-0 in League One.

Shrewsbury’s recent meetings with Walsall have seen the Saddlers just edge the contest. The most recent encounter was an EFL Trophy match in November 2023. That match saw Salop come out on top in a five-goal thriller, thanks to Daniel Udoh, Mail Benning and Ryan Bowman

Shrewsbury Town Facts

Shrewsbury Town History

Shrewsbury Town as we know it was founded in 1886 and spent time in the Shropshire and District League, the Birmingham and District League and the Midlands League before being granted Football League status in 1950.

Nine years later they won promotion from the Fourth Division before winning the division again in 1974/75 having suffered relegation the previous season. Just four years later, Salop achieved promotion to the Second Division where they stayed until 1989. However, a further relegation in 1992 saw them back in the fourth tier. The Third Division, as it was now known after the creation of the Premier League, was won in 1994 before relegations in 1997 and 2003 saw the club drop out of the Football League for the first time since their acceptance in 1950.

They regained their league status the following year, established themselves in League Two and earned a playoff spot in 2007. For the next season, the Shrews left Gay Meadow behind for their New Meadow ground. After a further two playoff failures, promotion to League One was secured in 2012 with a second-place finish under Graham Turner. Town was relegated and then promoted again to the third tier in 2015 and they have remained there ever since.

Paul Hurst led the club to the League One playoffs in 2018 before departing for Ipswich Town and being replaced by John Askey. The club have since struggled to achieve a top half finish and again find themselves battling against relegation.

Shrewsbury Town Social Media Links

For ticket information and purchases, the club shop and player interviews, the club’s official website is the place to go. You can find all the latest news regarding the men’s first team, the women’s team and the academy as well as details regarding the club’s foundation and photo galleries from previous matches. Follow the link for the website: www.shrewsburytown.com

For the latest goings on, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews at your fingertips, follow the club on X @shrewsburytown

Shrewsbury Town Outlook & Forecast

Shrewsbury Town have their work cut out to avoid dropping into League Two, currently sitting eight points from safety with only four wins all season. Their upcoming fixtures don’t get any easier, with Wrexham, Stockport County and Reading all to come in the next month.

Gareth Ainsworth seems to be favouring systems that allow him to switch between three and five at the back and is deploying wing-backs. The former Queens Park Rangers boss is no doubt trying to tighten up a porous defence while ensuring his side still offers an attacking threat.

Frequently Asked Questions About Shrewsbury Town Football Club

How much would it cost to buy Shrewsbury Town Football Club?

The value of Shrewsbury Town is not known but the club are in a healthy position financially, being free of debt and seeing turnover increase.

Who owns Shrewsbury Town football club?

Shrewsbury Town are owned by Roland Wycherley and have been since 1996.

Who is the current manager of Shrewsbury Town?

Shrewsbury Town’s current manager is the former Wycombe and QPR boss Gareth Ainsworth.

Is Shrewsbury Town a big club?

It would be hard to argue that Shrewsbury Town were a big club in English football and, with the teams currently making up League One, Salop would be classed as one of the smaller clubs in the third tier.

Where to watch Shrewsbury Town FC?

Shrewsbury Town play their home matches at The Croud Meadow in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.