Sam Ricketts suggested injuries to key players and poor refereeing decisions played a part in his dismissal from Shrewsbury

The 39-year-old was sacked by the Shrews on November 25 after eight games without a win and has since been replaced by Steve Cotterill.

In a statement released via the League Managers Association, the former Wales international thanked the Sky Bet League One club but pointed to a number of reasons for a poor start to the 2020/21 campaign.

“I would like to start by saying it was a privilege to manage Shrewsbury Town for nearly two years. The trust shown in me by chairman Roland Wycherley will never be forgotten,” Ricketts wrote.

“Unfortunately, this season we haven’t been able to match our league form of last season where we finished with the second highest league finish for 30 years.

“However, I do believe the current squad, which we assembled over the last two years, is capable of a top-half finish when everyone is fit and available.

“This season we have been severely hampered by injuries to key players and we have been on the wrong end of some key decisions which I feel hindered our continued progress.”