'I want to change what people see at Shrewsbury'

Gareth Ainsworth guided Wycombe to promotion from League One in 2020

New head coach Gareth Ainsworth has warned that his ambitions to transform Shrewsbury Town's fortunes will start with "a little bit of pain".

The 51-year-old was appointed on Wednesday on an initial 18-month contract, having been chosen from a shortlist of five candidates.

He has replaced Paul Hurst, who was sacked 10 days earlier following their FA Cup first-round defeat by League Two side Salford City, and will face a tough baptism with a home game against Birmingham City on 23 November.

His immediate task will be to end a run of six successive defeats in all competitions since their 5-3 win at Crawley Town on 12 October - only their second in 15 league games this season.

"I know the table doesn't make for great reading at the moment, but I intend to change that," he told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"But before I can change that, I want to change what people see on the pitch - I want to make a change where fans will come in and go 'I see a difference, I see what they are trying to do'.

"There could be a little bit of pain at the start, but I'm asking for patience and I'm asking for the town to get behind us and to buy into what we are trying to do."

Ainsworth's appointment as Salop boss sees him return to working in League One, a division where he enjoyed one of his greatest successes as Wycombe Wanderers boss.

Two years after taking the Chairboys up from League Two in 2018, he guided them up to the Championship for the first time in their history.

They spent just one campaign there before being relegated back to the third tier in 2021, but he returned to the Championship in February 2023 when appointed QPR boss.

He was in charge of Wycombe for more than a decade, and hopes to go on to replicate what he did at Adams Park with Shrewsbury.

"Of course it's going to be a tough division for someone the size of us to try to complete in, but there is ways. And I intend to find these ways and find them in droves to get enough points to survive in League One," he said.

"And I aim to make this club a successful football club.

"It took me quite a while to do that at Wycombe Wanderers, but if I could have the grace to be here in 10 years at Shrewsbury Town, then it means something has gone fantastically right and we will be fighting at the top.

"But I'm under no illusion that right now we must start getting away from the bottom of the league and picking up points where we can."

Ainsworth said he "got a good feeling" about the Shrewsbury job the moment he arrived and after talking to chairman and owner Roland Wycherley and director of football Micky Moore.

And while Wycherley is looking to sell the club after 28 years, Moore confirmed that the choice of Ainsworth had been made by the board with no "outside influences".

Six losses and one goal in six games

Town coach Sean Parrish took charge of the two games Shrewsbury played following Paul Hurst’s dismissal – Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Burton Albion, which plunged the club to the foot of the League One table, and Tuesday’s 3-0 loss in the EFL Trophy at League Two side Walsall.

"I’m disappointed, let down, angry, fuming. Whatever words you want to use. I told them collectively and individually, it’s just not good enough," Parrish told BBC Radio Shropshire after Tuesday's defeat.

“The way we defend, the way we stop crosses, the way we mark in the box. We don’t win first headers or second balls. We’re not going to keep clean sheets if we defend like this.

"Whoever comes in deserves better. And the only way to do it is by working harder."