Shrewsbury F.C.
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Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
club based in
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the
English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the ...
. Founded in 1886, the club were inaugural members of the Shropshire & District League in 1890 and then joined the Birmingham & District League five years later. Crowned champions in 1922–23, they switched to the
Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...
in 1937 and won the Midland League title in 1937–38, 1945–46 and 1947–48. Shrewsbury were admitted into the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
in 1950 and won promotion out of the Fourth Division at the end of the 1958–59 season. They were promoted again in 1974–75 after being relegated the previous year, and went on to win the Third Division title in 1978–79. They returned to the fourth tier following relegations in 1989 and 1992, where they won another league title in 1993–94. The club lost in the 1996 Football League Trophy final and dropped into non-League football after suffering relegations in 1997 and 2003. Shrewsbury immediately regained their Football League status after winning the 2004 Conference play-off final. They subsequently lost League Two play-off finals in
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
and
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
before they won automatic promotion in 2011–12 and again in 2014–15 after relegation in the previous season. They finished as runners-up in the 2018 EFL Trophy final and 2018 League One play-off final. The club plays its home games at
New Meadow New Meadow, also known as The Croud Meadow for sponsorship purposes, is a stadium situated on the southern outskirts of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, between the districts of Meole Brace and Sutton Farm, and close to the A5. It serves the home grou ...
, having moved from the
Gay Meadow Gay Meadow was a football ground in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, serving as the home ground of Shrewsbury Town. Located on the banks of the River Severn, it opened in 1910. The ground closed at the end of the 2006-07 Football League seas ...
in 2007. They have won the
Shropshire Senior Cup The Shropshire Senior Cup is a county cup football competition that is open for professional and non-professional senior football teams in the English county of Shropshire. The competition is one of the oldest cup competitions in the world, and ...
a record 67 times and are the only club from the county to ever play in the Football League.


History


Early history

The first club in the town was the Shrewsbury Football Club, founded in 1868, which in the 1877–78 football season won both the
Birmingham Senior Cup The Birmingham Senior Cup is a regional Association football, football competition for Birmingham County FA club teams, organised by the Birmingham County Football Association. It began in 1876 and is the oldest County Football Association, count ...
and
Shropshire Senior Cup The Shropshire Senior Cup is a county cup football competition that is open for professional and non-professional senior football teams in the English county of Shropshire. The competition is one of the oldest cup competitions in the world, and ...
, and was captained by
John Hawley Edwards John Hawley Edwards (21 March 1850 – 14 January 1893) was an English footballer who played as an inside forward. He made one appearance for England in 1874, before going on to play for Wales in 1876. He was a member of the Wanderers team tha ...
. It disbanded in around 1880. The present Shrewsbury Town were formed in 1886, following the demise of first Shropshire Wanderers and later indirectly Castle Blues. Press reports differ as to the exact date the new club was formed, The ''Eddowes Shropshire Journal'' of 26 May 1886 reported the birth of the club at The Lion Hotel, Wyle Cop,
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
. The ''
Shrewsbury Chronicle The ''Shrewsbury Chronicle'' is a local news newspaper in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It is one of the oldest weekly newspapers in the United Kingdom, publishing its first edition in 1772. It is printed on Wednesday evening and is on sale ...
'' reported the club being formed at the Turf Hotel, Claremont Hill, Shrewsbury. It may be both accounts are true, with a get-together at The Lion being finalised at the Turf. After friendlies and regional cup competitions for the first few seasons, Shrewsbury were founder members of the Shropshire & District League in 1890–91, later admitted to the Birmingham & District League in 1895–96. Many of the teams Town faced in the early days have vanished, however Shrewsbury met many of today's Football League and Conference teams, including
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
,
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
,
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
,
Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team competes in the National League North, the sixth level of the English football league system. Formed in ...
and
Stafford Rangers Stafford Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional English football team from Stafford which plays in the Northern Premier League Division One West. The team wear black and white stripes with black shorts. Stafford Rangers' rivals include ...
. In 1910, Shrewsbury looked to move to a new ground, having spent early years at locations across the town, notably near
Copthorne Barracks Copthorne Barracks was a British Army military installation in Copthorne, a suburb of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England. History The barracks were built between 1877 and 1881 and initially included a hospital, married quarters, stabling and st ...
west of the town. The club moved to
Gay Meadow Gay Meadow was a football ground in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, serving as the home ground of Shrewsbury Town. Located on the banks of the River Severn, it opened in 1910. The ground closed at the end of the 2006-07 Football League seas ...
on the edge of the town centre, within sight of
Shrewsbury Abbey The Abbey Church of the Holy Cross (commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey) is an ancient foundation in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The Abbey was founded in 1083 as a Benedictine monastery by the Normans, Norman Earl of Shre ...
, and stayed 97 years. Shrewsbury's Birmingham League days were mostly mid-table, with a few seasons challenging near the top, the club being league champions in 1922–23. A move to the
Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...
in 1937–38 saw the club enjoy one of its most successful seasons, winning a league and cup treble. Shrewsbury were league champions, scoring 111 goals . In addition, the
Welsh Cup The FAW Welsh Cup (), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the most prestigious of the cup competitions ...
was won following a replay, the team enjoyed a run in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
, and won the
Shropshire Senior Cup The Shropshire Senior Cup is a county cup football competition that is open for professional and non-professional senior football teams in the English county of Shropshire. The competition is one of the oldest cup competitions in the world, and ...
. After a run of good seasons in post-war years, Shrewsbury were admitted, alongside
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The club was formed in ...
to the old Division 3 (North) of the Football League in 1950, after being Midland League champions in 1949–50, following the decision to expand from 88 to 92 clubs.


Football League history

Elevation to the football league in 1950 saw the club play one season in the Northern section of the third division, followed by a further seven in the Southern section, this before they became founder members of the newly formed fourth division in 1958–59, gaining immediate promotion as runners-up to
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
at the first attempt. Shrewsbury gained their first promotion, to the Third Division, in 1958–59. They remained in the third tier 15 years, slipping back to Division Four at the end of 1973–74. 1960–61 season saw Shrewsbury Town reach the Semi Final of the League Cup. After beating Everton in the quarter-finals, they narrowly lost over two legs 4–3 on aggregate to
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...
. This era was also remembered for
Arthur Rowley George Arthur Rowley Jr. (21 April 1926 – 19 December 2002), nicknamed "The Gunner" because of his explosive left-foot shot, was an English football player and cricketer. He holds the record for the most goals in the history of English lea ...
. He arrived from
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
in 1958, the club's first player/manager. During his playing and managerial career, he broke
Dixie Dean William Ralph "Dixie" Dean (22 January 1907 – 1 March 1980) was an English footballer who played as a centre forward. Dean holds the record for the most goals scored in a single season in top-flight English football, with 60. He is regarded as ...
's goal-scoring record, scoring his 380th league goal against
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...
at
Valley Parade Valley Parade, currently known as University of Bradford Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater association football, football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The stadium was built in 1886 as the home of Manningham F.C. ...
on 29 April 1961. Retiring from playing in 1965 he remained manager until July 1968. Shrewsbury were promoted to the Third Division in 1974–75 as runners-up, before another successful season in 1978–79, when they were league champions under Ritchie Barker and later
Graham Turner Graham John Turner (born 5 October 1947) is an English former footballer who became a manager. His son Mark was also a professional footballer. He is fourth behind only Alex Ferguson, Neil Warnock and Arsène Wenger in terms of most games man ...
. Over 14,000 fans packed
Gay Meadow Gay Meadow was a football ground in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, serving as the home ground of Shrewsbury Town. Located on the banks of the River Severn, it opened in 1910. The ground closed at the end of the 2006-07 Football League seas ...
on 17 May 1979 to see Shrewsbury seal promotion with a 4–1 win over
Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
. In addition, the club beat First Division
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
2–0 in an FA Cup run that saw them reach the quarter-finals for the first time, before they lost in a replay to
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
. Turner is the team's most successful manager, winning the Third Division Championship in 1978–79 – his first season in charge – to take the club into the
Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
for the first time. They remained in the division for ten years, although Turner departed for
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
in 1984. Shrewsbury again reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1981–82, defeating the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
holders
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
in the fifth round before losing 5–2 away to
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
. The 1980s saw many big teams defeated by Shrewsbury, including
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
,
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
,
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
,
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
and Chelsea. Shrewsbury beat
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
2–1 at Gay Meadow at the end of the 1985–86 season to relegate their opponents, who went out of business and almost out of existence. The match was marred by violence from Middlesbrough fans, with many of them later having to return to Shrewsbury for court appearances. In the early to mid-1980s the club enjoyed its most successful Football League run. Shrewsbury survived through the sale of players, including
Steve Ogrizovic Steven Ogrizovic (born 12 September 1957) is an English football coach, former professional footballer and cricketer. As a player, he was a goalkeeper from 1977 until 2000, the last 16 years of which were at Coventry City. Nicknamed "Oggy", he ...
,
David Moyes David William Moyes (born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player, who currently manages Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton. He was the 2003, 200 ...
,
John McGinlay John McGinlay (born 8 April 1964) is a Scottish football manager, scout and former professional player who is the club ambassador of Bolton Wanderers. As a player, he was a striker over a 26-year career that saw him notably play in the Premier ...
and
Bernard McNally Bernard Anthony McNally (born 17 February 1963) is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played in midfield. During his club career he played for Shrewsbury Town (1980–1989), West Bromwich Albion (1989–1995), Hednesford ...
. They were relegated at the end of 1988–89 after ten years. In the Third Division, on 22 December 1990, Gary Shaw scored the quickest Town hat trick – 4 minutes and 32 seconds – against
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...
at
Valley Parade Valley Parade, currently known as University of Bradford Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater association football, football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The stadium was built in 1886 as the home of Manningham F.C. ...
. At the end of 1991–92, three years after relegation to the Third Division, the club was relegated to the Fourth – the first time since 1975. However, two seasons later Shrewsbury won the new ''(fourth tier)'' Division Three championship under Fred Davies in 1993–94, and remained in Division Two ''(third tier)'' for three seasons. The 1990s saw Shrewsbury make their first appearance at
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
as finalists in the 1995–96
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
final. They lost 2–1 to
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...
, with future Shrewsbury striker Nigel Jemson scoring both Rotherham goals. Shrewsbury remained a mid-table team before slipping down to the bottom division again at the end of 1996–97. Davies was sacked in May 1997 to make way for the former club captain
Jake King Jake King (born 26 March 1984) is a former Australian rules footballer for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Career King previously played for North Heidelberg in the Diamond Valley Football League before mo ...
to return to the club where he began his career, following a successful reign at local rivals Telford United.


Relegation from the Football League

In 1999–2000, Shrewsbury endured a poor season, and in mid-November 1999 King was sacked as the club neared relegation. The former Everton captain and Welsh international
Kevin Ratcliffe Kevin Ratcliffe (born 12 November 1960) is a Welsh former professional footballer who spent most of his career playing for Everton. Club career Ratcliffe was born in Mancot, near Queensferry in Flintshire, Wales. He joined Everton as an appre ...
joined from Chester City as manager and saved Shrewsbury from relegation on the final day of the season with a 2–1 victory away to
Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
. The season was known as the 'Great Escape'. Subsequently Town made steady progress with
Luke Rodgers Luke John Rodgers (born 1 January 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played in England's Football League, starting at Shrewsbury Town in 1999. Rodgers spent six years with the Shropshire side and made ...
emerging as a regular goalscorer, and they narrowly missed the 2001–02 league play-offs after a final-day defeat to
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
. The 2002–03 season saw Shrewsbury enjoy an FA Cup run. After dispatching non-league sides
Stafford Rangers Stafford Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional English football team from Stafford which plays in the Northern Premier League Division One West. The team wear black and white stripes with black shorts. Stafford Rangers' rivals include ...
and Barrow, they hit the headlines when Nigel Jemson struck twice to beat Everton 2–1 at Gay Meadow in the third round in front of 7,800 spectators. Watched by a near-capacity crowd of 7,950, Town lost 4–0 in the fourth round to Chelsea in a match televised on BBC's ''
Match of the Day ''Match of the Day'' (abbreviated to ''MOTD'') is a Association football, football highlights programme, typically broadcast on BBC One on Saturday nights during the Premier League season. ''Match of the Day'' is one of the BBC's longest-runn ...
'', with
Gianfranco Zola Gianfranco Zola (; born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football executive, Manager (association football), manager, and former Association football, footballer who played predominantly as a Forward (association football), forward. He is currently v ...
scoring twice. The side's form then disappeared, and they picked up just two further wins as they were relegated from the Football League after 53 years. Following angry demonstrations from fans, Ratcliffe resigned, and Mark Atkins took temporary charge for the club's final League game, a 2–1 defeat to
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The club was formed in ...
, who coincidentally had been Shrewsbury's first League opponents in 1950. The
Northwich Victoria Northwich is a market town and civil parish in the Cheshire West and Chester borough of Cheshire, England. It lies on the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers River Weaver, Weaver and River Dane, Dane, east of Chester, south of Warr ...
manager Jimmy Quinn was appointed Shrewsbury's manager in May 2003. With most of the previous year's players released, Quinn assembled a whole new squad, with experienced non-league players such as Darren Tinson and
Jake Sedgemore Jacob Oliver "Jake" Sedgemore (born 20 October 1978 in Wolverhampton) is an English footballer who plays for AFC Wulfrunians. He previously played in the Football League for Shrewsbury Town and Bury. His brother Ben was also a professional fo ...
joined by
Colin Cramb Colin Cramb (born 23 June 1974 in Lanark) is a Scottish former professional footballer and coach who played as a forward from 1991 and 2009. He notably played for Hamilton Academical, Doncaster Rovers, Bristol City and Stirling Albion. Cramb ...
,
Scott Howie Scott Howie (born 4 January 1972) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Having played professionally in the English and Scottish football leagues, he last played for English non-league side Wroxham. Howie pla ...
and former League Cup finalist Martin O'Connor. The league title went to Chester City, but with 74 points, Shrewsbury finished third and defeated
Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) *Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; anc ...
on penalties in the play-off semi-finals to set up a
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
against
Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...
, at
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
's
Britannia Stadium The bet365 Stadium is an all-seater football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England and the home of EFL Championship club Stoke City. The stadium was previously called the Britannia Stadium but was renamed on 1 June 2016 when the cl ...
. After a 1–1 draw, Shrewsbury's goalkeeper
Scott Howie Scott Howie (born 4 January 1972) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Having played professionally in the English and Scottish football leagues, he last played for English non-league side Wroxham. Howie pla ...
saved three consecutive Aldershot penalties in another penalty shoot-out, and the defender
Trevor Challis Trevor Challis (born 23 October 1975) is an English former professional footballer He was part of the successful Queens Park Rangers youth team that won the South East Counties League and Southern Junior Floodlit Cup final beating West Ham. ...
scored the winning kick.


Return to the Football League

Quinn departed 14 league games into the 2004–05 season, and was replaced by the former
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
manager
Gary Peters Gary Charles Peters (born December 1, 1958) is an American lawyer, politician, and former military officer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Michigan, a seat he has hel ...
, who preserved Shrewsbury's Football League status in League Two. Meanwhile, the club had unearthed two talented local players in
Joe Hart Charles Joseph John Hart (born 19 April 1987) is an English football pundit and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He began his career at his hometown club Shrewsbury Town in the Football Conference and League Two. In ...
and David Edwards, who both went on to become experienced internationals. Despite the departure of their goalkeeper Hart to
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
, Shrewsbury went on a 14-match unbeaten run in the 2006–07 season. Following a 2–2 draw against
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
in the final League match to be held at Gay Meadow, they finished in seventh place to qualify for the play-offs, where they defeated
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...
in the semi-finals. The team lost to
Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...
in the final on 26 May 2007 at the new
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
in front of a record crowd for any fourth-tier game of 61,589. The club chairman Roland Wycherley had cut the first sod of soil at Shrewsbury's
New Meadow New Meadow, also known as The Croud Meadow for sponsorship purposes, is a stadium situated on the southern outskirts of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, between the districts of Meole Brace and Sutton Farm, and close to the A5. It serves the home grou ...
ground in the summer of 2006 and club moved permanently for the 2007–08 season. Peters left the club on 3 March 2008 by mutual consent, and his replacement, Paul Simpson, led the club to an 18th-place finish in the league. After the season, the kit manufacturer Prostar earned the naming rights of the stadium. The 2008–09 season saw Shrewsbury reach the play-offs again, after they beat
Dagenham and Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club (), often known simply as Dagenham and abbreviated when written to Dag & Red, is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England that play in the , the sixth level of the En ...
on the final day of the season. They beat Bury 4–3 on penalties in the semi-finals, with
Luke Daniels Luke Matthew Daniels (born 5 January 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Barrow, where he also serves as goalkeeper coach. Daniels is product of the Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion academ ...
making two saves to send Shrewsbury through, but lost 1–0 to Gillingham in the play-off final, with a goal in the 90th minute by Gillingham's
Simeon Jackson Simeon Alexander Jackson (born March 28, 1987) is a Canadian semi-professional soccer player who plays as a forward for A.F.C. Sudbury. He has spent the majority of his career playing in England, relocating from Mississauga, Ontario, to South ...
. On 30 April 2010, after a disappointing 2009–10 season, Simpson was dismissed with two games remaining. Graham Turner returned to Shrewsbury Town as manager in June 2010. The club finished the 2010–11 season in fourth place, missing automatic promotion by one point. They lost 2–0 on aggregate in the play-off semi-final to
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
. In the 2011–12 season they finished second on 88 points, and beat Dagenham & Redbridge 1–0 with a James Collins header in the penultimate game of the season to achieve promotion to League One after a 15-year absence. Shrewsbury also enjoyed a notable run in the League Cup, beating
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
at
Pride Park Pride Park is a business park on the southern outskirts of the city centre of Derby, England. It covers 80 hectares of contaminated former industrial land between the River Derwent and railway lines, and was developed between the 1990s and ear ...
and Premier League
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...
, before losing 3–1 to
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
after James Collins headed them in front at the
Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a association football, football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal F.C., Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. ...
. Shrewsbury exceeded expectations in the 2012–13 season and sealed League One safety with two games to spare by beating
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
1–0, finishing 16th. The first half of the following season was disappointing, and Turner quit in January and relegation was confirmed after a 4–2 home defeat against
Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Peterborough United formed in ...
.


Recent history

In May 2014 the ex-
Fleetwood Town Fleetwood Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Established in 1997, the current Flee ...
boss
Micky Mellon Michael Joseph Mellon (born 18 March 1972) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player who is the manager of club Oldham Athletic. As a player, he was a midfielder for clubs including Bristol City, West Bromwich Albion, Blackp ...
was appointed manager. Town were promoted back to League One on 25 April 2015 with a 1–0 victory away to
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...
via
Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro (born 4 January 1985) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Glossop North End on a dual-registration basis with Wythenshawe Town. Akpa Akpro came through the youth ranks at Toulouse FC wher ...
's goal. Mellon left for
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ...
in October 2016, and was replaced by the
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
manager
Paul Hurst Paul Michael Hurst (born 25 September 1974) is an English football manager and former player. As a player, he was a left back from 1993 to 2008, notably playing his entire career at Rotherham United, bar a brief loan spell with Burton Albion i ...
, with Shrewsbury bottom. In 2017–18, Hurst led Shrewsbury to the EFL Trophy Final, which they lost to Lincoln City. He also led the team to the League One play-offs, but they lost to
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...
after extra time. Hurst left to join
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
on 30 May 2018. He was replaced by former Macclesfield boss
John Askey John Colin Askey (born 4 November 1964) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Truro City. Able to play as a winger or as a striker, Askey had pace and intelligence. A former youth team play ...
, who was sacked in November 2018 having won just five of their opening 21 games. His successor,
Sam Ricketts Samuel Derek Ricketts (born 11 October 1981) is a professional football coach and former player. As a player, his favoured position was at full back, where he was able to play either side as well as being able to operate at the centre of defe ...
was appointed manager in December. A highlight of the 2019–20 season was a fourth round
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
tie against the European champions
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, which Shrewsbury drew 2–2. Town narrowly lost the replay 1–0 at
Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...
in front of an attendance of 52,399. However, following disruption to the season in March 2020 due to
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
, final
League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...
standings were decided on a
points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player or team per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of poi ...
basis with Shrewsbury finishing in 15th place. In November 2020, Ricketts was sacked with Shrewsbury in 23rd place and was replaced by
Steve Cotterill Stephen John Cotterill (born 20 July 1964) is an English coach and former player who is currently the manager of National League side Forest Green Rovers. Cotterill, a striker, had a nine-year career as a footballer playing for Burton Albio ...
. He helped Shrewsbury to a five-year high of 12th place in 2023, then stepped down in June 2023 and was replaced by Matt Taylor, who lasted less than seven months as manager. On 24 January 2024, the club confirmed the reappointment of Paul Hurst as head coach.


Stadiums


Racecourse Ground

The Racecourse Ground was used in
Monkmoor Monkmoor is a suburb located in the north-east of the town of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It is connected to the suburbs of Underdale and Abbey Foregate. The ward's population in 2015 was 4,451. Much of Monkmoor is residential; there is ap ...
between 1886 and 1889. Town's first ground hosted 51 matches over 3 years. The majority of these were friendlies as Town were not members of any league. Their first game was a 5–2 victory over Wellington Town on 16 October 1886 at the Racecourse Ground.


Ambler's Field

Copthorne 1889–1893 Town spent 4 seasons at Ambler's Field, Copthorne between 1889 and 1893. Here they were founder members of the Shropshire and District League started in 1890. 22 February 1890 saw town's record victory which was 18–0 against Wellington Town (Bowdler 8, Phasey 3, Rowlands 2 Gosson 3 Aston and Murphy). Town played 44 times at this ground.


Sutton Lane

Sutton Farm Sutton Farm is a suburb on the south-east side of Shrewsbury, in the civil parish of Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, England. History and topography In 1931 the parish had a population of 60. On 1 April 1934 the parish was abolished and merged with ...
1893–1895 Town played 47 times in 2 seasons at Sutton Lane,
Sutton Farm Sutton Farm is a suburb on the south-east side of Shrewsbury, in the civil parish of Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, England. History and topography In 1931 the parish had a population of 60. On 1 April 1934 the parish was abolished and merged with ...
and when they moved from here, they also moved up to the Birmingham League. This ground is now allotments.


Barracks Ground

Town played at Barracks Ground, Copthorne for 15 years, over 300 matches between 1895 and 1910 against more classier opposition of reserve teams like Aston Villa and Wolves. In 1909–10 they reached the first round of the FA Cup.


Gay Meadow

Shrewsbury played at
Gay Meadow Gay Meadow was a football ground in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, serving as the home ground of Shrewsbury Town. Located on the banks of the River Severn, it opened in 1910. The ground closed at the end of the 2006-07 Football League seas ...
,
Abbey Foregate The Abbey Church of the Holy Cross (commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey) is an ancient foundation in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The Abbey was founded in 1083 as a Benedictine monastery by the Normans, Norman Earl of Shre ...
between 1910 and 2007. For many years, Shrewsbury
coracle A coracle is a small, rounded, lightweight boat of the sort traditionally used in Wales, and also in parts of the west of Ireland and also particularly on the River Boyne, and in Scotland, particularly the River Spey. The word is also used for ...
maker Fred Davies achieved some notability amongst football fans, by a unique service he and his coracle provided. He would sit in his coracle during Shrewsbury Town home matches, and retrieve any stray footballs that went into the River Severn. Although Davies died long ago, his legend is still associated with the club.


New Meadow

A new stadium was opened in July 2007 on Oteley Road,
Meole Brace Meole Brace, also known simply as Meole ( ), is a south-western suburb of Shrewsbury, in the civil parish of Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, England. The Rea Brook, a tributary of the River Severn, flows through the area. The brook was in the past ...
. It features a 9,875 all-seater capacity in four separate stands for football. Capacity for concerts at the stadium is 17,000. The ground has conference facilities, a function area, snack bars, licensed bars, a club shop and a restaurant. Within the stadium confines are training facilities for the club and a 5-a-side football complex which is run The Shrewsbury Town Foundation. The first match at the stadium was 4–0 win against A-line Allstars featuring
Gianfranco Zola Gianfranco Zola (; born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football executive, Manager (association football), manager, and former Association football, footballer who played predominantly as a Forward (association football), forward. He is currently v ...
on 14 July 2007. The first league match was a 1–0 win against
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...
with Dave Hibbert scoring the winner. Shrewsbury's record victory at this ground is 7–0 against Gillingham on 13 September 2008 in League Two. The record attendance at New Meadow is 10,210 vs. Chelsea in the
2014–15 Football League Cup The 2014–15 Football League Cup (known as the Capital One Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 55th season of the Football League Cup. It is a knock-out competition for the top 92 football clubs that played in English football league system. T ...
. The record league attendance at New Meadow was 9,510 for a
League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...
tie against
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
in September 2013. The England under-18s, under-19s, under-20s, under-21s and England women's senior team have all played at the stadium. The England Women's team have played three matches at New Meadow. For sponsorship reasons, the stadium has been named The Croud Meadow since June 2023.


Club colours

The club's colours have always featured blue. However, blue has not always been the most dominant colour. Early kits included blue and white stripes, quartered shirts and all-blue shirts, which were worn with either white or amber trim until 1978. In 1978 Shrewsbury's most famous kit was introduced – the blue and amber stripes, which they wore as they were promoted in successive seasons, up to the old second division (now the Football League Championship). This was the design worn by character Derek Smalls in the movie '' This Is Spinal Tap''. The club was not loyal to the stripes for long, and in 1982 reverted to a blue shirt, then used a blue body with amber sleeves, later reverting to an amber body with blue sleeves. In 1987 the shirts radically changed to white shirts for four seasons before reverting to stripes in 1991–92. After a flamboyant abstract pattern on the shirts in 1992–93, Shrewsbury's kits have stayed mostly blue, with amber stripe(s) of some description evident since 1999. The shirt sponsors have, since their introduction in 1982 until 2017, all been local companies. As of the 2017–18 season, the current shirt sponsor is The Energy Check, a
South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England; it is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. The town was once known in Roman Britain, Roman times as ''Arbeia'' and as ''Caer Urfa'' by the Early Middle Ag ...
-based Energy management company.


Club crest

The first crest to appear on the shirt of Shrewsbury Town was the town's coat of arms, The Loggerheads in 1907. The crest was used intermittently on shirts until 1960 through to 1970, when a generic football design was used. During this time, The Loggerheads continued to be used on other merchandise, such as match-day programmes. The Loggerheads returned in 1970, and in various guises continued to be used until 1986, when a "Shrew" cartoon was introduced as the club's crest in an attempt to rebrand "Salop" as "The Shrews". During this time, the club's kit was also changed to predominantly white. A campaign by fanzine "A Large Scotch" eventually led to the return of The Loggerheads crest in 1992. The crest changed once in again in 2007 to coincide with Salop's move to
New Meadow New Meadow, also known as The Croud Meadow for sponsorship purposes, is a stadium situated on the southern outskirts of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, between the districts of Meole Brace and Sutton Farm, and close to the A5. It serves the home grou ...
, the new badge featured a single lion's head in a circle. The club stated that the new badge was necessary as any design incorporating The Loggerheads could not be copyrighted.


Kit suppliers

Over the years the club has had many different kit suppliers, the most recent being Umbro at the start of the 2021/22 season. It marked the return to the famous double diamond after the supplier manufactured the clubs kits during the most successful period in its history, which was from 1973 to 1982. From the start of the 2024/25 season, Oxen will become the clubs new technical kit supplier.


Supporters and rivalries

The club has many supporters groups from different areas of the nationally and internationally, including locally throughout
Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
,
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and internationally in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
(where there is a team called Shrewsbury Town in a league in Milan). Most recently there is a large supporters group in
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
where there are ties with the
MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...
side
Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...
. In 2019, a group named ''South Stand Flags'' was set up after the opening of New Meadow's safe standing section in order to "improve atmosphere at home games". The group, usually based in block 9 of the South Stand, organise choreography and flag displays. Their first fundraiser raised over £1000 which funded the purchase of 50 new flags. The group has gained of praise from players and managers, including the ex-Shrewsbury boss
Sam Ricketts Samuel Derek Ricketts (born 11 October 1981) is a professional football coach and former player. As a player, his favoured position was at full back, where he was able to play either side as well as being able to operate at the centre of defe ...
. An unofficial fanzine and forum named ''Blue & Amber'' was introduced in 2005. In late 2019 the club started attracting fans from the small Caribbean island nation of
Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...
. The support stemmed from the club having two Grenada internationals,
Aaron Pierre Aaron Pierre may refer to: * Aaron Pierre (footballer) (born 1993), Grenadian footballer * Aaron Pierre (actor) (born 1994), English actor {{hndis, Pierre, Aaron ...
and
Omar Beckles Omar Jerome Beckles (born 25 October 1991) is a professional association football, footballer who plays as a defender (association football), defender for club Leyton Orient F.C., Leyton Orient. Born in England, he represents the Grenada nation ...
, who helped the nation to a six-match unbeaten run in qualifying for the
CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup () is an association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for men's senior national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament is held every two ...
. The president of the
Grenada Football Association The Grenada Football Association (GFA) is the governing body of football in Grenada. It oversees the Grenada national football team. In club football, it oversees the GFA Premier League, GFA First Division and GFA Second Division. It also over ...
,
Cheney Joseph Cheney Joseph is a Grenadian former footballer. He played in the infamous Barbados 4–2 Grenada game during the 1994 Caribbean Cup qualification campaign. Joseph has been a member of the Caribbean Football Union since May 2012. Joseph is an a ...
, adopted ''The Shrews'' as his team, stating "I have fallen in love with Shrewsbury. I'm serious. I believe they can become a dream story, a Cinderella story". In November 2019, Joseph sent a partnership offer to the club, as well as a formal invitation for Town chairman Roland Wycherley to visit the country. On 9 November, Oliver Norburn became the third Town player to be called up by
Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...
, whom he qualified for through his paternal grandfather. On 26 January 2020, Joseph made his first visit to his adopted club, where he witnessed ''The Shrews'' come back from 2–0 down to draw 2–2 with
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
.


Rivals

The club maintains several rivalries. The rivalry with near-neighbours
Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...
was ranked nineteenth in ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
s ''Twenty fiercest rivalries in English football'' in 2015. Known as the ' A49 derby' due to
the road ''The Road'' is a 2006 post-apocalyptic novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. The book details the grueling journey of a father and his young son over several months across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that has destroyed ...
that connects
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
with
Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
, it has not been played since Hereford United went out of business and reformed as Hereford FC, who now play in the
National League North The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National League (English footb ...
, three divisions below ''The Shrews''. This is similar to the rivalry with the now defunct Chester City. In 2010, a new club was formed named Chester FC who, like Hereford, also compete in the National League North and are yet to meet Shrewsbury in any competition. Another rivalry for the Shrews is with Welsh club
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
. Following Wrexham's relegation from the Football League in 2008, the fixture was not competed again until 2024 for an FA Cup match. The two sides also met in League One during the 2024–25 season. The club's other main rivals include
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
,
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
,
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...
and
Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
rivals
AFC Telford United AFC Telford United is a football club based in Telford, Shropshire, England. The club was formed in 2004 after the original Telford United F.C., founded in 1872, folded due to financial problems. They are currently members of the and play at ...
.


Club, first team, academy & women's team staff


Club officials

''As of 5 September 2024''


First-team coaching & support staff

''As of 26 March 2025''


Academy coaching & support staff

As of 29 January 2025


Women's first-team coaching & support staff

As of 24 March 2025


Players


Current squad

''


Out on loan


Notable former players


Record holders

Mickey Brown Michael Anthony Brown (born 8 February 1968) is an English former professional footballer. Born in Birmingham, Brown played for several clubs, including Shrewsbury Town, Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End. Career Brown was probably most w ...
holds the club record for most league appearances 418, accumulated during three spells. However Colin Griffin (footballer) holds the record number of total appearances with 497. Centre half turned centre forward Alf Wood scored 5 goals in the 7–1 victory against Blackburn Rovers in 1971 and became the first player since Dixie Dean to score four headed goals in one match.


Famous names

Several Shrewsbury players have gone onto, or came from prominent top-flight careers. These include current and former top-flight managers
David Moyes David William Moyes (born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player, who currently manages Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton. He was the 2003, 200 ...
,
Nigel Pearson Nigel Graham Pearson (born 21 August 1963) is an English association football, football coach (sport), manager and former professional player. He last managed EFL Championship, Championship club Bristol City F.C., Bristol City. During his playi ...
, Gordon Lee,
David Pleat David John Pleat (born 15 January 1945) is an English association football, football player turned manager (association football), manager, and sports commentator. Pleat made 185 Football League appearances for five clubs, scoring 26 goals. He ...
and
Gary Megson Gary John Megson (born 2 May 1959) is an English former football player and manager. He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers and ...
. International stars
John McGinlay John McGinlay (born 8 April 1964) is a Scottish football manager, scout and former professional player who is the club ambassador of Bolton Wanderers. As a player, he was a striker over a 26-year career that saw him notably play in the Premier ...
,
Jim Holton James Allan Holton (11 April 1951 – 4 October 1993) was a Scottish footballer who played as a centre-back. Holton played for Shrewsbury Town, Manchester United, Miami Toros, Sunderland, Coventry City and Detroit Express. He played in 15 inter ...
, Jimmy Quinn, Michael Gulla (American footballer), Jimmy McLoughlin, Mickey Thomas,
Carl Robinson Carl Philip Robinson (born 13 October 1976) is a Welsh former international footballer who played as a central midfielder. He is currently the assistant coach at Atlanta United FC. Early life Robinson was born and raised in Llandrindod Wells, ...
and
Neville Southall Neville Southall (born 16 September 1958) is a Welsh Manager (association football), football manager and former international association football, footballer. He has been described as one of the best Goalkeeper (association football), goalk ...
all spent time at Shrewsbury.
Doug Rougvie Douglas Rougvie (born 24 May 1956) is a Scottish former footballer, who played mainly for Aberdeen and Chelsea. Rougvie played in one international match for Scotland, in 1983. Playing career Aberdeen A hard-tackling and committed defender, ...
won the
European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...
with
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
in 1983 and played for Shrewsbury later in the decade after a spell at Chelsea. More recently, Premier League winner Mark Atkins spent later seasons of his career at Shrewsbury, as did Sheffield Wednesday's Nigel Jemson and former Nottingham Forest player Ian Woan. Coventry City stalwart
Steve Ogrizovic Steven Ogrizovic (born 12 September 1957) is an English football coach, former professional footballer and cricketer. As a player, he was a goalkeeper from 1977 until 2000, the last 16 years of which were at Coventry City. Nicknamed "Oggy", he ...
was previously a Shrewsbury player. Two notable recent departees are local-born youth products, England goalkeeper
Joe Hart Charles Joseph John Hart (born 19 April 1987) is an English football pundit and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He began his career at his hometown club Shrewsbury Town in the Football Conference and League Two. In ...
and Wales midfielder David Edwards, both of whom have been capped at U21 and senior international levels. Edwards went on to play in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
with
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
and the Wales national team and returned to Shrewsbury in January 2019. Hart was a regular in the England senior team and is one of only two men to win every major domestic trophy in both England and Scotland.


Local players

In addition to Hart and Edwards, Shrewsbury have given opportunities to many young local players, who have forged successful professional careers.
Norman Hobson Norman Hobson (born 22 August 1933) is an English former professional footballer who played as a right-back for Shrewsbury Town. Norman signed from Oswestry Town in October 1954 and spent 8 seasons at Shrewsbury, making 212 league appearances ...
was a local Shrewsbury born defender in the mid to late 1950s and made 224 appearances.
Bernard McNally Bernard Anthony McNally (born 17 February 1963) is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played in midfield. During his club career he played for Shrewsbury Town (1980–1989), West Bromwich Albion (1989–1995), Hednesford ...
was a local star in the 1980s, with two other local players,
Kevin Seabury Kevin Seabury (born 24 November 1973, in Shrewsbury) is an English former professional footballer, who most notably played for his home-town club Shrewsbury Town. After leaving school, Seabury joined Shrewsbury Town, and was offered a profes ...
and
Peter Wilding Peter John Wilding (born 28 November 1968) is a former professional footballer for Telford United and Shrewsbury Town. Originally a midfielder, Wilding became somewhat of a utility player during his time at Shrewsbury, playing in every position ...
being fan favourites at the club in the 1990s. Veteran striker
Andy Cooke Andrew Roy Cooke (born 20 January 1974) is an English former footballer, who played as a striker for Newtown, Burnley, Stoke City, Busan I'Cons (South Korea), Bradford City, Darlington and Shrewsbury Town. Career Born in Shrewsbury, Shrops ...
was born and raised in Shrewsbury, and supported the club as a boy, but forged his career elsewhere after being rejected as a trainee. Tom Bradshaw is a recent Shrewsbury-born talent to have emerged from the Youth Team, and
Mason Springthorpe Mason Thomas Springthorpe (born 1 November 1994) is an English Association football, footballer who plays for club Wem Town F.C., Wem Town as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He joined Everton F.C., Everton for £125,000 from S ...
signed for Everton prior to making an appearance for the Shrews, for £125,000.


Cult heroes

In 2004, the BBC's ''
Football Focus ''Football Focus'' is a BBC television magazine programme launched in 1974, broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday lunchtimes during the football season. The programme, along with '' Final Score'', is a remnant from the former flagship sports show ...
'' ran polls to determine club's
cult hero Cult Hero may refer to: *a pseudonym used by an extended lineup of The Cure to release the 1979 single "I'm a Cult Hero" * ''Cult Hero'' (film), a 2022 Canadian thriller film * Cult Hero Records, an independent record label owned and operated by th ...
es, and Dean Spink was named as Shrewsbury's cult hero, ahead of Steve Anthrobus and
Austin Berkley Austin James Berkley (born 28 January 1973) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. His most successful spell was at Shrewsbury Town, where he made 174 appearances in five years, scoring 12 goals. Career Berkley be ...
.


Foundation

The Shrewsbury Town FC Foundation is the club's official charity that carries out community work in the local community and surrounding areas. The foundation helps provide opportunities to many people by offering many different programmes. These include health & wellbeing, education, and employability. The foundation also provides football and participation opportunities which consists of walking football, disability football and soccer schools. It also runs the Shrewsbury Town development centres which provides advanced coaching to help progress players into academy football. A Girls Emerging Talent Centre is also organised and supported by the foundation.


Managerial history

Source: *
W. Adams W. Adams was the first manager of Shrewsbury Town F.C. He managed the club for seven years, between 1 May 1905 and 31 May 1912, during which period the club moved from Copthorne barracks ground to the Gay Meadow Gay Meadow was a football g ...
(1905–1912) * S. Wilcox (1912–1934) * Jack Roscamp (1934–1935) * Stan Ramsay (1935–1936) * Ted Bousted (1936–1940) *
Leslie Knighton Albert Leslie Knighton (15 March 1887 – 10 May 1959) was an English football manager. He managed Arsenal, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, Birmingham, Chelsea and Shrewsbury Town. Management career Knighton was born in Church Gresley, Swa ...
(1945–1949) * Harry Chapman (1949–1950) * Sammy Crooks (1950–1954) *
Walter Rowley Walter James Rowley (14 April 1891 – 22 March 1976) was an English footballer around World War I and a manager during and after World War II. He spent some 47 years playing and coaching in the Football League. He played for Oldham Athletic ...
(1955–1957) *
Harry Potts Harold Potts (22 October 1920 – 16 January 1996) was an English football player and manager. As a player he won promotion with both Burnley and Everton, and both from Second Division. As Burnley manager, he guided them to the First Division ...
(1957–1958) *
Johnny Spuhler John Oswald Spuhler (18 September 1917 – 7 January 2007) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre forward. He played in the Football League for Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Darlington. Football career Spuhler was born ...
(1958) *
Arthur Rowley George Arthur Rowley Jr. (21 April 1926 – 19 December 2002), nicknamed "The Gunner" because of his explosive left-foot shot, was an English football player and cricketer. He holds the record for the most goals in the history of English lea ...
(1958–1968) *
Harry Gregg Harry Gregg (27 October 1932 – 16 February 2020) was a Northern Irish professional footballer and manager. A goalkeeper, he played for Manchester United during the reign of Sir Matt Busby, with a total of 247 appearances for the club. He was ...
(1968–1972) * Maurice Evans (1972–1974) * Alan Durban (1974–1978) * Richie Barker (1978) *
Graham Turner Graham John Turner (born 5 October 1947) is an English former footballer who became a manager. His son Mark was also a professional footballer. He is fourth behind only Alex Ferguson, Neil Warnock and Arsène Wenger in terms of most games man ...
(1978–1984) * Chic Bates (1984–1987) * Ken Brown (1987) * Ian McNeill (1987–1990) *
Asa Hartford Richard Asa Hartford (born 24 October 1950) is a Scottish former football player and coach. He started his professional career with West Bromwich Albion. His early progress led to a proposed transfer to Leeds United in November 1971, but this co ...
(1990–1991) * John Bond (1991–1993) *
Fred Davies Frederick Davies (22 August 1939 – 2 September 2020) was an English footballer who made nearly 400 appearances in the Football League playing as a goalkeeper for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cardiff City and AFC Bournemouth. He later became a mana ...
(1993–1997) *
Jake King Jake King (born 26 March 1984) is a former Australian rules footballer for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Career King previously played for North Heidelberg in the Diamond Valley Football League before mo ...
(1997–1999) * Chic Bates (1999) *
Kevin Ratcliffe Kevin Ratcliffe (born 12 November 1960) is a Welsh former professional footballer who spent most of his career playing for Everton. Club career Ratcliffe was born in Mancot, near Queensferry in Flintshire, Wales. He joined Everton as an appre ...
(1999–2003) * Mark Atkins (2003) * Jimmy Quinn (2003–2004) * Chic Bates (2004) *
Gary Peters Gary Charles Peters (born December 1, 1958) is an American lawyer, politician, and former military officer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Michigan, a seat he has hel ...
(2004–2008) * Paul Simpson (2008–2010) *
Graham Turner Graham John Turner (born 5 October 1947) is an English former footballer who became a manager. His son Mark was also a professional footballer. He is fourth behind only Alex Ferguson, Neil Warnock and Arsène Wenger in terms of most games man ...
(2010–2014) *
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
(2014) *
Micky Mellon Michael Joseph Mellon (born 18 March 1972) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player who is the manager of club Oldham Athletic. As a player, he was a midfielder for clubs including Bristol City, West Bromwich Albion, Blackp ...
(2014–2016) *
Danny Coyne Daniel Coyne (born 27 August 1973) is a Welsh football coach and former professional player. As a player, he was a goalkeeper who played between 1992 and 2018. He came through the youth ranks at Tranmere Rovers during the 1992–93 season. Coyn ...
(2016) *
Paul Hurst Paul Michael Hurst (born 25 September 1974) is an English football manager and former player. As a player, he was a left back from 1993 to 2008, notably playing his entire career at Rotherham United, bar a brief loan spell with Burton Albion i ...
(2016–2018) *
John Askey John Colin Askey (born 4 November 1964) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Truro City. Able to play as a winger or as a striker, Askey had pace and intelligence. A former youth team play ...
(2018) *
Sam Ricketts Samuel Derek Ricketts (born 11 October 1981) is a professional football coach and former player. As a player, his favoured position was at full back, where he was able to play either side as well as being able to operate at the centre of defe ...
(2018–2020) *
Steve Cotterill Stephen John Cotterill (born 20 July 1964) is an English coach and former player who is currently the manager of National League side Forest Green Rovers. Cotterill, a striker, had a nine-year career as a footballer playing for Burton Albio ...
(2020–2023) * Matt Taylor (2023–2024) *
Paul Hurst Paul Michael Hurst (born 25 September 1974) is an English football manager and former player. As a player, he was a left back from 1993 to 2008, notably playing his entire career at Rotherham United, bar a brief loan spell with Burton Albion i ...
(2024) *
Gareth Ainsworth Gareth Ainsworth (born 10 May 1973) is an English professional former player and football manager who is the manager of club Gillingham. A former youth player at Blackburn Rovers, the midfielder, who was known for his crossing ability, moved ...
(2024-2025) *
Michael Appleton Michael Antony Appleton (born 4 December 1975) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of EFL League Two club Shrewsbury Town. As a player, he operated as a midfielder, in a nine-year career that ...
(2025-Present)


Club records

* Best
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
performance: Quarter-finals, 1978–79, 1981–82 * Best League Cup performance: Semi-finals, 1960–61 * Record attendance at
Gay Meadow Gay Meadow was a football ground in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, serving as the home ground of Shrewsbury Town. Located on the banks of the River Severn, it opened in 1910. The ground closed at the end of the 2006-07 Football League seas ...
: 18,917 vs.
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
, Third Division, 26 April 1961 * Record attendance at
New Meadow New Meadow, also known as The Croud Meadow for sponsorship purposes, is a stadium situated on the southern outskirts of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, between the districts of Meole Brace and Sutton Farm, and close to the A5. It serves the home grou ...
: 10,210 vs. Chelsea, League Cup fourth round, 28 October 2014 * Record attendance for a Shrewsbury Town match: 61,589 vs.
Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...
(at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
),
2007 Football League Two play-off final The 2007 Football League Two play-off final was an association football match which was on 26 May 2007 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Bristol Rovers and Shrewsbury Town to determine the fourth and final team to gain promotion from Football ...
, 26 May 2007 * Record victory: 21–0 vs. Mold Alyn Stars, Welsh FA Cup 1st round, 27 October 1894 * Record League victory: 12–1 vs. Hereford City, Shropshire & District League, 20 October 1894 * Record defeat: 0–13 vs. Small Heath, Birmingham League, 25 December 1895 * Most league goals in a season
  38:
Arthur Rowley George Arthur Rowley Jr. (21 April 1926 – 19 December 2002), nicknamed "The Gunner" because of his explosive left-foot shot, was an English football player and cricketer. He holds the record for the most goals in the history of English lea ...
(1958–59) * Most league goals in total
  152:
Arthur Rowley George Arthur Rowley Jr. (21 April 1926 – 19 December 2002), nicknamed "The Gunner" because of his explosive left-foot shot, was an English football player and cricketer. He holds the record for the most goals in the history of English lea ...
(1958–65) * Most league appearances
  418:
Mickey Brown Michael Anthony Brown (born 8 February 1968) is an English former professional footballer. Born in Birmingham, Brown played for several clubs, including Shrewsbury Town, Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End. Career Brown was probably most w ...
(1986–91, 1992–94, 1996–2001) * Most appearances
  497: Colin Griffin (1976–1988)


Honours

Source: League * Third Division (level 3) **Champions: 1978–79 * Fourth Division / Third Division / League Two (level 4) **Champions: 1993–94 **Runners-up: 1974–75, 2011–12, 2014–15 **Promoted: 1958–59 *
Conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
(level 5) **Play-off winners:
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
* Birmingham & District League **Champions: 1922–23 **Runners-up: 1913–14, 1923–24, 1936–37 *
Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...
**Champions: 1937–38, 1945–46, 1947–48 Cup * Football League Trophy / EFL Trophy **Runners-up: 1995–96, 2017–18 *
Welsh Cup The FAW Welsh Cup (), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the most prestigious of the cup competitions ...
**Winners: 1890–91, 1937–38, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1984–85 **Runners-up: 1930–31, 1947–48, 1979–80 Minor * Shropshire and District League **Runners-up: 1890–91 *
Mid Wales League The Central Wales Football League ''(formerly the Mid Wales Football League)'' is a football league in Wales at tier four of the Welsh Football pyramid, run by the Central Wales Football Association. The league consists of two regionally based di ...
**Winners: 1934–35, 1935–36 *
Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...
**Winners: 2009, 2013 *
Central League Cup The Central League is a football league for reserve teams, primarily from the English Football League. For sponsorship purposes, it was branded as the Final Third Development League until the 2015/16 season. The league was formed in 1911 and i ...
**Winners: 2006 *
Shropshire Senior Cup The Shropshire Senior Cup is a county cup football competition that is open for professional and non-professional senior football teams in the English county of Shropshire. The competition is one of the oldest cup competitions in the world, and ...
**Winners (67) - A Record *
Herefordshire Senior Cup The Senior Cup, was formed in 1951 when Ansells Brewery presented Herefordshire FA with the trophy. In the early days the Senior cup became an annual invitation Final. The final often varied in the early years between being a two legged affair o ...
**Winners: 1951, 1986, 1998 **Runners up: 1973, 1987 *
Walsall Senior Cup The Walsall and District Football Association Senior Cup is an English football competition for clubs in and around Walsall, with the final in modern times taking place at Walsall's Bescot Stadium. The Cup was founded in 1878 and was originally ...
**Winners: 1924, 1925, 1926 *Shropshire Mayors Charity Cup **Winners: 1890, 1893, 1902, 1903, 1908, 1909, 1925 **Runners up: 1889, 1895, 1898, 1899, 1905, 1906, 1923, 1939, 1948 *Keys Cup **Winners: 1924, 1937


References


Bibliography

*


External links

* {{Authority control Football clubs in England Sport in Shrewsbury Football clubs in Shropshire Association football clubs established in 1886 English Football League clubs National League (English football) clubs 1886 establishments in England