Get to know new Shrewsbury Town boss Gareth Ainsworth

Town have been searching for a new head coach since Paul Hurst was relieved of his duties more than a week ago.

The 51-year-old is quite the coup for the Shropshire side with his managerial CV. Here is a look back at his career so far. 

Ainsworth spent more than 10 years as manager of Wycombe Wanderers after being appointed in November 2012, then 39, after an initial spell in caretaker charge.

His first tilt at promotion from League Two with the Chairboys ended in heartbreak as his Wycombe side were beaten on penalties by Southend.

They had bypassed Plymouth in the play-off semi-finals beating them home and away to get to the final, which was drawn 1-1 until the shootout.It was not until 2018 that Ainsworth managed to get The Chairboys out of League Two.

They finished in the third promotion spot on 84 points and went up with Luton, Accrington and Coventry.

Ainsworth's side then had a season to solidify their place in League One before gaining promotion out of that division the year after in the 2019/20 season by finishing third in the table.

They beat Oxford United in the play-off final that season as Joe Jacobson's penalty 11 minutes from time guided them to the Championship for the first time.

They found life in the second tier much harder and went winless in their first eight league matches following their promotion. 

Wycombe were eventually relegated from the Championship with 43 points from their 46 games, finishing third bottom.

They bounced back well the following season as Ainsworth's side got to the play-off final again in League One in the 2021/22 season but were beaten 2-0 by Sunderland.

When QPR came calling in February 2023, Ainsworth ended a 13-year association with The Chairboys to take on the job at Loftus Road.

He won just five of his 28 games in charge before he was sacked after a run of nine games without a win, and he has been out of work for more than a year since his departure from west London.

With Town currently bottom of the League One table, having played more games than the teams around them, Ainsworth will have a huge task on his hands.