Paul Hurst: Shrewsbury Town re-appoint former boss to replace Matt Taylor

Paul Hurst was sacked by Grimsby Town in October 2023

League One side Shrewsbury Town have re-appointed Paul Hurst as head coach.

The 49-year-old re-joins The Shrews following the dismissal of Matt Taylor, after a run of seven defeats in eight games.

Hurst previously managed the club for 19 months from 2016 to 2018, leading Salop to the League One play-off final in 2018, which they lost to Rotherham.

He left Shrewsbury just three days later to replace Mick McCarthy as boss of Ipswich Town.

However, things did not got to plan as the Tractor Boys won just one of his 15 games in charge before Hurst was sacked after less than five months.

Following his exit from Ipswich, Hurst spent a seven-month spell as boss at Scunthorpe United before he returned to Grimsby Town, where he had started his managerial career, in 2020, guiding them back into the English Football League in 2022 via the National League play-offs.

His second spell at the Mariners ended in October, and he joins Shrewsbury with the Shropshire side sitting in 20th place in the table, four points above the relegation places.

'Long-standing relationship'

Shrewsbury director of football Micky Moore said sacking Taylor was a "tough decision" but he had recommended Hurst, who will bring Chris Doig in as his assistant once more, as the "outstanding candidate" to chairman Roland Wycherley.

"Having managed against Paul since 2009, we have a long-standing relationship," Moore said.

"I have followed his career carefully over the years and the discussions we have held over the last few days have been really positive.

"I look forward to having a great working relationship with both Paul and Chris going forward.

"We are delighted they have decided to return to the football club."

Hurst's first game back in charge is at Northampton on Saturday.

'Hurst return will enthuse fans and energise club'

Analysis - BBC Radio Shropshire's sports editor Nick Southall

They say never go back, but ever since Paul Hurst left in the wake of the League One play-off final defeat by Rotherham at Wembley in 2018, it always felt like a matter of when, not if, he would return.

Hurst's first spell as manager was a magical time for the club and for his career. He picked Town up from the foot of League One, guided them to safety and, in the following season, led them to the play-off final. That's quite an achievement and one which saw Hurst's name being linked with high-profile jobs in the Championship like Ipswich - and rightly so.

He tells me now, in hindsight, taking the Ipswich job with the situation they were in was a mistake. But who could have blamed him for wanting to prove himself at such a big club.

Hurst is the only Shrewsbury manager I can think of who had his own road sign - 'Hurst Way' - installed by adoring fans on the Meole Brace roundabout near the stadium and his return will enthuse a large part of the fanbase with Town hovering above the drop zone.

He's an ambitious manager - now head coach - but he's realistic as well. There's work to do at Shrewsbury and his return, which he always hoped would happen, should energise a football club that's lost seven of their last eight games and is slipping dangerously down the table.

Shrewsbury have had good managers in their recent past: Graham Turner, Micky Mellon, Steve Cotterill and Hurst himself.

Now he has the chance to repay the club for giving him another opportunity to cement his place as a club legend.

Paul Hurst (centre) won 47 of his 97 games in charge during his first spell as manager of Shrewsbury from October 2016 to June 2018