Michael Appleton on his ‘burning desire’ to succeed at Shrewsbury Town

It has been a challenging job for the 49-year-old to come into. Salop were virtually relegated when he was first given the position on an interim basis at the end of last season after Gareth Ainsworth walked out on Town.

He has since signed a permanent deal in Shropshire, but the club has had a difficult time of it so far this season, culminating in director of football Micky Moore’s departure last week.

They are also battling with financial restraints, growing unrest among the fanbase and trying to get a takeover tied up. Salop revealed earlier this week they are close to going into a period of exclusivity with a prospective buyer.

And Appleton was asked if this is one of the most challenging jobs he has had during his managerial career.

“It's definitely up there,” he said. “Because there's obviously a lot of stuff going on off the pitch with the potential sale of the football club. Everyone talks about that.

“It doesn't matter if I'm going for a bite to eat in town or wherever it may be.

“A lot of people want to ask me about that question, rather than why didn't we defend that certain situation better or we could have done better there.”

Yet the boss says that is not necessarily something he minds, with Appleton saying the harder it is, the bigger the reward if he can get it right.

“So that's an issue,” he continued. “But at the same time, I do quite like the thought of the challenge because the prize at the end of it is much bigger.

“It's much more satisfying when you get something like this type of role and job right than it is just going into a normal job where you've got everything done for you and everything's in place and everything's hunky-dory.

“There is a burning desire inside me to get this right because I've seen what it looks like when you do get it right. I just hope that I get the opportunity to do that.”

Town are next in League Two action on the road again this weekend when they make the trip to Swindon. The sides last met in February 2021 when Town were 1-0 winners thanks to Harry Chapman’s goal in the 34th minute.