Chris Skitt leaves Shrewsbury Town after 10 years to join Ipswich

The popular member of Town's backroom staff will be replaced from within as John Askey and the club have promoted current youth team physio Jordan Beech to replace Skitt.

Skitt revealed the decision to leave his hometown club was made with 'a heavy heart'. After joining from Burnley in 2009, Skitt was promoted to first-team physio in 2011 after Nathan Ring left to join Brighton.

The 32-year-old joins Hurst and former assistant Chris Doig at the Championship Tractor Boys.

Beech meanwhile, formerly of Carlisle, joined Shrewsbury in March 2017 in his academy physio role. He has stepped up into the senior team amid interest from other Football League clubs.

"It is a really tough decision to make after 10 years of being at the club – I've become massively fond of everyone around it, and the club itself," said Skitt.

"It wasn't an easy decision by any stretch. It's something I've thought about for a long time, run over the pros and cons and issue that might come up.

"It's a decision I've had to make, but with a hugely heavy heart.

"It's been a massive relationship we've formed and hopefully one we'll continue going forwards."

He continued: "It's an opportunity to go to a big, big club in a league one better than we're in currently.

"It's an opportunity to grow my career and test myself at the next level, see if my principals are robust enough to work at that next level."

He played a key role in the instillation of Town's Sundorne Castle training facility last summer and is an immensely popular figure in the town of Shrewsbury.

Skitt and his Shrewsbury medicine and performance team were awarded the League One Members Award at the Football Medicine & Performance Association Awards in Derby in May.

He was an integral part to Hurst's side's remarkable campaign last term and the Ipswich chief was keen to get him on board.

"The award was due to the team on the pitch and behind the players, not me solely, the group ethic," Skitt added. "That's something I'm looking to install where we're going and push on to see if those input and theory works at a higher level."

Boss Askey made an attractive offer to keep Skitt at Montgomery Waters Meadow. New physio Beech will be familiar with the set-up and schedules Skitt had in place as the duo worked together closely over the past year.

Skitt added on his short time with Askey: "He's been great from the day he came in. We've been in constant contact. It was a hugely hard decision and something he had a massive amount to do with.

"He made it massively attractive to stay in what he was thinking in my role within the team and all I can do now is wish him, the playing staff and the coaching staff all the absolutely best and if I can do anything with information or experience I'll be more than happy to do that to see if I can still help in some way."