Shrewsbury have announced the appointment of Steve Cotterill as manager on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

The former Nottingham Forest, Bristol City and Birmingham boss takes over at the League One club following the sacking of Sam Ricketts on Wednesday.

Cotterill, who has also had spells at clubs including Cheltenham, Burnley and Portsmouth, has been out of frontline management since leaving Birmingham in 2018.

The 56-year-old takes over a side 23rd in the table with just one win from their opening 13 games.

Shrews chief executive Brian Caldwell said in a statement: “Steve brings a wealth of managerial experience with around 700 games to date.

“He has had a lot of success during his managerial career, including five promotions, an EFL Trophy win, and three manager of the year awards.

“It has been a whirlwind 48 hours but with matches coming thick and fast, we felt it was vitally important to appoint as quickly as possible.”

The Shrews host National League South side Oxford City in the FA Cup second round on Saturday.