Graham Turner: Paul Hurst is on the right path for Shrewsbury Town

Turner, who spent a decade playing at Gay Meadow before two spells as manager, hailed the ex-Grimsby man for working his way up the leagues.

The Salop Hall of Fame member, who remains a close friend of the football club, has not been surprised by Town's bounce under Hurst and conceded that the Yorkshire chief will really be tested as things begin to settle down.

Town lie bottom of League One, five points adrift of safety, but Hurst picked up an encouraging point on debut at Southend United and guided Town seamlessly through to round two of the FA Cup.

"Paul's done well at Grimsby. He was a careful choice given the names in the market," said the two-time boss, who guided Shrews to the third division title in 1979.

"He's been successful in the past and got that experience – he fits the profile. His background is a great pathway. Look at the old-time managers – Jim Smith began at Boston and Neil Warnock started at Gainsborough Trinity and Burton. It's a difficult pathway and it gives a rewarding insight into problems, with less pressure – no disrespect to those clubs.

"He's had his time out of the limelight and you've got to have ambition, which is something he's shown."

Hurst, who has enjoyed promotion in charge of Ilkeston Town, Boston United and Grimsby as a boss, is known to demand hard work from players.

His approach to formations is similarly old-school, enjoying width in a 4-4-2 set-up – something that resonated with Turner.

"The game doesn't change," he added. "Money talks at the top level, but at the lower levels it is all about man-management. You need a structure, and need to have decent players, but above all you need to be a man-manager. You need players that want to play for you."

Turner, also in charge from 2010-14, feels Town can avoid the drop. "There's enough there to be halfway up," he said.

"He's more than capable of getting them out of trouble."