Paul Hurst makes Shrewsbury Town return following Matt Taylor dismissal

The former Grimsby and Scunthorpe boss, who had an incredibly successful first stint in Shropshire from October 2016 to June 2018, is back in post at the Croud Meadow.

The 49-year-old is charged with keeping Shrewsbury Town in the division after a run of seven defeats in the last eight games saw former head coach Matt Taylor lose his job.

And he returns to the club alongside his assistant Chris Doig.

Micky Moore, director of football, said: "It was a tough decision to part company with both Matt Taylor and Marcus Bignot.

“Both of them did their best to bring results to the football club.

“But following the game at Peterborough, I sat down with the chairman, and we decided a change was needed for us to move forward.

“Once that was agreed I presented a shortlist of names to the chairman - following the same procedure as when we appointed Matt.

“I recommended Paul Hurst would be the standout candidate, and the chairman agreed.

“Having managed against Paul since 2009, we have a long-standing relationship.

“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. They both enjoyed an outstanding time here previously and we are looking forward to welcoming them back.”

During his previous tenure in Shropshire, he guided Town to an EFL Trophy final which ended in defeat to Lincoln.

He also oversaw a third-placed League One finish, which ultimately saw Shrewsbury lose to Rotherham in the play-off final after extra time.

Hurst left Shrewsbury for Ipswich, but he was sacked after a short spell with the Tractor Boys before heading to Scunthorpe where he was in charge for 38 games.

Since then, he returned to Grimsby and oversaw a promotion back to League Two before leaving the Mariners earlier this season.

He will have a job on his hands though as he takes over the football league's lowest-scoring side who have a difficult trip to Northampton on Saturday.

The new boss still has time in the transfer window should he feel the need to make additions to his squad.