2025: 'A turbulent but resilient year for Shrewsbury Town'

2025 has been a turbulent but resilient year for Shrewsbury Town.

Gareth Ainsworth "promised everything and delivered nothing", according to former Town midfielder and BBC Radio Shropshire pundit Jamie Tolley.

Ainsworth left in late March with Shrewsbury still fighting for survival. In the end, Town crashed out of League One with four games left to play.

They say 'that is football for you', but with so much promised by the now Gillingham boss and wonderful memories of wins against Wrexham and Birmingham, the break-up remains raw.

Listeners to BBC Radio Shropshire loved what they heard from Ainsworth and hoped he would repeat his Wycombe success story. He brought energy, hope and renewed belief. If only it lasted longer.

Then to compound matters, the proposed American takeover collapsed and relegation from League One confirmed.

Next came the rebuild.

After a whole summer of preparing for life in League Two, director of football Micky Moore left by mutual consent just weeks after the new season got under way. The timing of his departure took everyone by surprise.

It raises the question about the effectiveness of the director of football model for a lower league club like Shrewsbury. Several others have gone down the same route and now enjoy the fruits of that change.

That model at the Meadow is currently on ice and doubts remain over its return. It is difficult to know if the model was wrong or whether Moore's appointment was the problem.

There is no hiding the fact that he made mistakes. Appointing Matt Taylor as boss after his poor spell in charge at Walsall was not the best of starts.

Moore inherited a Steve Cotterill squad that flirted with the League One play-offs until injuries took their toll, finishing 12th, their highest position in five years.

The playing group is now fighting for survival in League Two.

It now leaves one man in sole charge. I think supporters will agree that Michael Appleton was dealt a difficult hand when he took over in the wake of Ainsworth's shock departure.

Do not get me wrong, most management opportunities stem from somebody else's failing or desire to leave. But this felt a particularly difficult transition. There was little he could do to prevent the drop.

Fast forward and results have improved since Moore left, with signs that 2026 could be much better with Appleton at the helm, but there is still a lot of work to do and fans will rightly continue to demand instant results as the risk of relegation continues to loom.

2025 has been a roller-coaster ride and, amongst the changes, Appleton has quietly and calmly gone about his business.

He is a head coach who I believe given time will deliver success to Shrewsbury. At this point I appreciate some remain to be convinced, pointing out his current win ratio.

I get that. But let us put his tenure into context. January 2026 will be his first full transfer window where he is the one calling the shots. That is nine months since he took over. This is where a line is drawn and his recruitment judged.

The FA Cup run, reaching the third round, has provided much-needed financial relief just in time for the January sales. I back Appleton to bring in better quality, but even then, it will take a full summer in 2026 to really establish a group of players capable of competing at the right end of League Two.

His job for now is simple. Keep Shrewsbury in the Football League.

He has made Town more resilient at home having been unbeaten for five games there up until the narrow loss against Chesterfield at the weekend.

There is no doubt there has been a momentum shift from their poor start. They now need to convert more of those draws into victories. It is time to kick on and get a better points return, matching their improved performances.

As the search for a new owner rolls on into a new year, it is vital Shrewsbury avoid the drop into non-league.

The collapse of the takeover was a body blow. The unnamed investor had great credentials with a youthful sense of energy and drive. He has wished to remain anonymous as he focuses on other business ventures.

In hindsight, the club could not have done any more. It appears they found the right person, at the wrong time for the individual. It will remain a case of what might have been.

Town is an attractive club for potential investors. Their improved finances have shown greater resilience in 2025. They have managed to halve their operating loss and remain debt-free. On the face of it, it is a perfect football club for aspiring owners to lift to the next level.

Will 2026 see a change of ownership? Only time will tell. If it is the end of an era for Roland Wycherley MBE, he will not want his legacy tainted by relegation into the National League. I do not think that will be the case, but January is key in so many ways.

Having bought the debt-ridden club in 1996, rescuing it from further demise, he has gone on to mastermind the move from the much-loved but problematic Gay Meadow to the Croud Meadow on Oteley Road where attendances have tripled.

He has overseen the club's rise and successful decade in League One, leading it to within a whisker of the Championship in 2018.

2026 marks his 30th anniversary at the top.

It could be his last in charge and we all hope it ends happily ever after.