Significant Shrewsbury Town managerial update expected before Wednesday | OneFootball

Shrewsbury Town are reportedly set to announce the departure of manager Steve Cotterill in the next 48 hours ahead of next season’s League One campaign.

The Cheltenham-born boss, 58, managed a mid-table finish with the Shropshire side last season; it registered their highest finish since 2017-18, and their first top-half finish since the same campaign in which they suffered play-off final heartache. Despite floundering in the bottom half of the third-tier following that successful campaign, the club have never been in a relegation battle towards the business end of the season.

But, according to the Shropshire Star, Cotterill will choose to leave on his own terms and avoid being sacked, with his departure coming after chief executive Brian Caldwell left the club after a seven-year stint last month.

With a new-look board set to form part of Shrewsbury's future, it would well be apparent that they are looking to take on a different strategy than Cotterill in a bid to try and earn second-tier football for the first time in 34 years.

Other successful, similar-sized clubs have managed to achieve promotion to the Championship in recent seasons; the likes of Rotherham United, Burton Albion, and, more recently, Plymouth Argyle have all earned promotion within the last decade.

That could well influence the new board's decision, and with Cotterill being portrayed as a more ardent, old-school boss alongside his run of just one win in 10 league games towards the end of the season, the time is right to part ways.

How did Steve Cotterill fare at Shrewsbury?

Cotterill joined Shrewsbury in November of the Covid-laden 2020/21 season, with the New Meadow outfit lying in a measly 23rd place - on just nine points from 13 games after Sam Ricketts’ tenure.

Cotterill almost instantaneously changed their fortunes; a run of seven games without defeat, including a 1-0 win at Hull City, saw his side climb to 16th by the end of February.

They escaped relegation by seven points, and had the former Stoke and Burnley manager come in to the fold later, that could have been curtains for their third-tier status.

Another 18th-placed finish beckoned the following season, and whilst it looked as though they may have sneaked a play-off place, a dreadful run to the end of the season halted those chances.

What did Cotterill say about Caldwell’s departure?

It was clear that Cotterill and Caldwell got on very well - and the Scot’s treatment of his manager whilst he had to endure Covid-19 pneumonia still holds a place in Cotterill’s heart.

As per the Shropshire Star, he said: "The club has lost a good guy. I will miss him without a shadow of a doubt.

"When I came here two and a half years ago, the chairman said he wanted me and Brian to work closely together - and we did just that. He was very supportive, especially when I had Covid."