Shrewsbury sack head coach Matt Taylor

After a run of seven defeats in the last eight games across all competitions and the worst goal-scoring record in the EFL - 18 goals in 28 games - Taylor has been relieved of his duties in Shropshire.

Town have been sliding into a relegation scrap after a steady start to the season, and they now sit in 19th - seven points clear of the drop zone but having played more games than those around them.

As part of the changes, assistant coach Marcus Bignot has also been sacked by Shrewsbury and their search for a new head coach will get under way immediately.

Taylor joined Town in June 2023 after former boss Steve Cotterill had left the club after guiding Shrews to their second-highest finish in 33 years.

He was appointed by director of football Micky Moore, and in his first game in charge he oversaw a 1-0 victory over Cheltenham thanks to Ryan Bowman's winner.

The team's goal-scoring problems were evident from early on in Taylor's reign as Shrews went the whole month of September without scoring a goal in the games they played.

Pressure soon started to build on the Town boss, but each time his job looked in danger, he managed to produce a result.

The late comeback against Reading at the start of November where Town scored two injury-time goals to come from 2-1 down to win 3-2.

One of the low points was the 4-0 defeat at Blackpool at the end of that same month, but they responded with a 2-1 win against Port Vale a week later to relieve some pressure.

The festive period was disappointing for Salop as they lost to relegation rivals Cheltenham and Burton with performances being well below par, but a win against Fleetwood on New Year's Day silenced critics for a while.

But that did not last, as they lost to local rivals Wrexham, before losing their next two League One games which ultimately cost Taylor his job at the Meadow following the 2-1 defeat against Peterborough at London Road on Saturday.