Barnsley's League One rivals appoint former Rotherham United and Ipswich Town man as new head coach

The 49-year-old has returned to the club having previously led Salop between 2016 and 2018. He had been out of work since Grimsby Town relieved him of his duties back in October.

He has stepped in to replace Matt Taylor, who was dismissed at the weekend alongside his assistant Marcus Bignot. Hurst’s trusted lieutenant Chris Doig has also returned to take up the role of assistant head coach.

Shrewsbury’s director of football Micky Moore 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.”