McMahon handed caretaker role

John McMahon has been handed the responsibility of steadying the Shrewsbury Town ship after the departure of Gary Peters.

McMahon, who became Peters’ third official No 2 following Mick Wadsworth and Leroy Rosenior in June 2006, was placed in temporary charge of team affairs with immediate effect.

His first task was to lead the reserve team for last night’s visit of Port Vale at Oteley Road and the scouser - brother of former Liverpool midfielder Steve - is likely to take charge for this weekend’s home clash against Rotherham.

The remaining members of Peters’ backroom team, first team coach Stuart Delaney and physio Joe Hinnigan, also remain at the club at this stage.

Peters cited the growing negativity for reasons behind his departure, but admitted he had paid the price for a run of just one victory in the last 12 League Two games.

“The results that we’ve had over the last 12 games haven’t been good enough and I wouldn’t have been surprised if I had been sacked, said the 53-year-old Londoner.

“That hasn’t been the case and it has been a mutual agreement between the chairman and myself that I have decided to leave Shrewsbury Town.”

Peters’ lunchtime departure yesterday came after a dramatic day of twists and turns at Oteley Road.

The now departed Town boss was at his office in the morning and preparing for the reserves match and to hold his customary Monday debrief with his squad following Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Barnet.

There were few signs that Peters was on the brink of departing yesterday morning.

“I have brought a lot of young players here and we can go on to be a really good team - I’m still excited at what we have got and I have still got faith in the players we have got here,” he said at the time.

“It’s not my job to leave them to get on with it. It’s my job to get on with it.

“If the players were telling me they didn’t want me to be here, that would be a totally different situation.

“If there was a situation like this at another club or this club, they would call on me now to deal with the last bit of it (the season).

“We are not in it (relegation trouble) at the moment but I can see it creeping up on us.”

Managing director Rob Bickerton avoided direct questions over Peters’ future in a morning statement, and it was clear Town officials were preparing for Peters to remain at the helm.

But all that changed during a meeting with chairman Roland Wycheley where it was decided that the former Preston boss would leave the club by mutual consent after 40 months in charge.

“I think it’s fair to say the outcome of this morning’s meeting between the chairman and Gary Peters caught everyone by surprise, including the chairman and Gary,” said Bickerton.

While McMahon’s temporary appointment provides a short-term solution, speculation will now go into over-drive over the identity of Peters’ permanent successor. And Bickerton insisted the club had nobody lined up at this stage.

Peters took over in November 2004 with the club on the brink of dropping out of the League for a second time.

He oversaw a season-on-season improvement for the first three years, culminating in last season’s trip to Wembley for the play-off final defeat against Bristol Rovers.

But those exploits have never threatened to be matched this term and supporters have recently begun to lose faith in the man they hoped would restore the good times.