FORMER Burnley boss Steve Cotterill has been appointed manager of Shrewsbury Town.

Cotterill, who spent three years at Turf Moor, replaces Sam Ricketts who was sacked earlier this week with the Shrews struggling at the foot of League One.

His first game in charge will be tomorrow's FA Cup second round tie against Oxford City while his first league game will be at home to Accrington Stanley on Wednesday night.

In a statement on the club's website, Shrewsbury CEO Brian Caldwell said: “We are delighted to announce Steve Cotterill as the new Manager of Shrewsbury Town Football Club who has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the Club,” said Brian.

“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. We are very grateful to Steve and his representative for their assistance in making this all happen in such a timeous fashion.

“We are sure you will give Steve a 'Shrewsbury welcome' and support him and the squad in our battle to improve our league position in the coming weeks.”