Shrewsbury Town: Dean Whitehead to succeed Graham Barrow as assistant manager

Dean Whitehead was part of Shrewsbury's backroom team when they played Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in the FA Cup in January

Shrewsbury Town have promoted Dean Whitehead to become assistant manager as part of a streamlining of manager Sam Ricketts' backroom staff.

Ricketts' former number two, ex-Wigan, Rochdale, Bury, Chester and Wrexham boss Graham Barrow, has returned to Lancashire for personal reasons.

The League One club's performance director John Pitts has also left.

Whitehead, 38, who previously played alongside Ricketts at Oxford United, was already on Town's coaching staff.

He left his role as Huddersfield Town Under-19s coach to join up with Ricketts again in November 2019.

"Dean Whitehead will step up," Ricketts told BBC Radio Shropshire. "Myself and Dean, we'll be the coaching element of the backroom staff.

"He has got great experience as a player and has worked as a coach under a number of great managers."

Ricketts spent three seasons in the same Oxford side as Whitehead from 2000 to 2003 before leaving to join Shrewsbury's neighbours Telford United.

Hard-running midfielder Whitehead went on to make 620 career appearances with Sunderland, Stoke City, Middlesbrough and Huddersfield Town, mostly in the Premier League, three times winning promotion, twice with Sunderland then with the Terriers.

The vastly experienced Barrow, 66, long-time number two to Roberto Martinez at Wigan, was appointed by Shrewsbury in June 2019.