Bristol Rovers' League One rivals sack head coach less than two weeks after defeat at the Mem

Shrewsbury Town sacked head coach Paul Hurst over the weekend, less than a fortnight after losing 1-0 to Bristol Rovers at the Mem.

Hurst is the third League One boss to lose his job this campaign after Mark Robinson (Burton Albion) and Neil Critchley (Blackpool). The former was dismissed by the Brewers last month after a winless start to the campaign while the latter left Bloomfield Road in August having seen the Tangerines miss out on the play-offs last season and begin this term with back-to-back losses.

Crawley Town also made a change in the dugout, but that was enforced after Scott Lindsey joined MK Dons with former Newcastle United goalkeeer Rob Elliot joining from Gateshead.

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Shrewsbury are currently second-bottom in League One with just two wins and 10 defeats from their opening 14 league matches. An FA Cup exit to League Two side Salford City on Saturday proved to be the Town head coach's final game in charge.

In an official club statement, Salop said: "It is with regret that Shrewsbury Town can confirm we have parted company with head coach Paul Hurst and assistant boss Chris Doig.

"This decision was made following an emergency board meeting held this morning.

"Paul and Chris returned to the Croud Meadow in January this year and were instrumental in keeping the club in League One last season. However, after a run that has seen us win just two of our 19 games this season (a win rate of 10.5 per cent), the board feels a change is needed.

"The chairman would like to thank both Paul and Chris for all their hard work over the past 11 months. We would also like to thank them for the outstanding work they did in their first spell – which saw us reach the League One play-off final and the final of the EFL Trophy.

"It was that success that led to the Chairman taking responsibility for re-hiring Paul and Chris earlier this year and everyone at the football club is hugely disappointed their second spell hasn’t worked out and we find ourselves in our current position.

"The search for a new head coach is now underway."

Hurst is considered a legend for his first spell in charge at the Croud Meadow but hasn't been able to reach the same heights since replacing Matthew Taylor in January.

Shrewsbury survived in League One last term, finishing 19th and four points clear of safety, but have found life in the third tier particularly difficult this term with their sole victories coming against fellow strugglers Leyton Orient and Crawley Town.

Salop felt hard done by after their defeat at the Mem just under a fortnight ago when they saw a late equaliser from Tox Bloxham disallowed by the officials with an impressive strike from Jamie Lindsay the decisive factor.

That evening saw ex-Rovers players Luca Hoole, John Marquis and Jordan Rossiter all feature after they were recruited in the summer.

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