League One club left 'dismayed' after manager makes shock exit to join League Two outfit

The 51-year-old only joined Shrewsbury in November after the departure of Paul Hurst but he has been unable to lead the club away from relegation trouble at the bottom of League One. Shrews currently prop up the division in 24th, 14 points from safety with nine games to play.

Gillingham, meanwhile, are 19th in League Two with former Accrington boss John Coleman previously at the helm having signed a contract until the end of the season. His departure has been confirmed.

Shrewsbury chairman Roland Wycherley has penned an open letter to the club’s supporters this afternoon, in which he writes: “I understand there is a lot of anger, worry and concern among supporters. As you will be aware from media reports this morning – and much to our shock and dismay – Gareth Ainsworth has informed us he wishes to leave the club after receiving an offer from a League Two club.

“First of all, I can confirm that the club has done absolutely everything in its power to persuade Gareth to stay. Failing that, we also asked if he would continue until the end of the season. Gareth’s contract contained a termination clause which the League Two club in question initially refused to meet.

"We made clear from that point we would not allow him to leave and that we wanted him to honour the remainder of his contract. But Gareth made clear he wanted to leave immediately, despite acknowledging the position the club are in at this moment in time.

“At a board meeting yesterday afternoon, the League Two club had still refused to meet the termination clause. But at 4.41pm yesterday, STFC received confirmation that the club had agreed to pay the full termination fee for both Gareth Ainsworth and Richard Dobson. This took any further negotiations out of our hands – and Gareth and Richard once again expressed their desire to leave immediately.

“A few weeks ago, I sat down with Gareth and offered him a two-year contract extension regardless of our divisional status because, as a club, we were excited about the future with him at the helm. Gareth seemed pleased we made that offer and everyone was looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.

“While we only received the final paperwork from the League Two club this afternoon, I would like to – as much as possible – reassure fans that we are already in discussion with suitable candidates for the head coach role. We are working really hard to have someone in place for Saturday.

“Once again, I fully understand why our supporters are feeling frustrated, confused and concerned. I can assure you, as a supporter myself, the current situation hurts me more than I can ever express. And with the club still in an exclusivity agreement regarding a potential takeover, we will keep you updated with events as they happen.”

Following a 1-1 draw with Northampton in late December, Ainsworth was adamant Shrewsbury would finish above Cobblers this season. "With no disrespect to Northampton, I think we can finish above them,” he said. “I would say that as Shrewsbury manager but I do firmly believe that.” Shrewsbury were six points behind Northampton at the time. They are now 14 points behind.