Bristol Rovers’ relegation battle rivals confirm bombshell managerial switch as ex-QPR boss makes huge call

Bristol Rovers’ relegation rivals Shrewsbury Town have parted ways with manager Gareth Ainsworth after just four months in a shocking turn of events at the bottom of the League One table.

Ainsworth, who was only appointed Shrewsbury boss in November 2024, has left his role at New Meadow after winning just five of his 22 matches in charge of the Shrews and has agreed an immediate switch to League Two outfit Gillingham, who are 20 places lower in the football pyramid, to replace experienced head coach John Coleman.

Shrewsbury are currently bottom of the League One table with a dismal record of just 28 points from 37 matches, with 23 of those points coming under Ainsworth after his arrival to replace Paul Hurst. The Shropshire side are currently 14 points adrift of safety with 20th place side Bristol Rovers sitting on 42 points from 38 matches this season.

Gareth Ainsworth agrees deal with Gillingham

Gillingham sacked manager Mark Bonner in January and replaced him with former Accrington Stanley boss John Coleman until the end of the season. The Kent side have a record of two victories, seven draws and five defeats under Coleman, giving him a poor win percentage of just 14.29%.

They were, however, beginning to show signs of turning the corner and are unbeaten in their last three with a win over Bradford City followed by draws against Accrington Stanley and high-flying Walsall this month.

Meanwhile, Shrewsbury Town were beaten 2-0 at home by Burton Albion last weekend with their relegation destiny creeping closer. Speaking about his side after defeat to Exeter City earlier this month, Ainsworth said: "I've said a few home truths to the boys because it's probably one of the few times I'm saying 'that's not good enough. We got outfought and it's not like us to get outfought. It wasn't the football that lays down, it was the fight."

Ainsworth’s managerial career so far

Gareth Ainsworth is returning to manage in the fourth tier of English football for the first time since leading Wycombe to promotion via the play-offs in the 2017/18 campaign. Ainsworth spent 11-years of his career with the Chairboys and took charge of a combined total of 550 matches at Adams Park, with his best moment coming against Oxford United in the 2020 play-off final when he led the Buckinghamshire based side to the Championship for the first time in their history.

Wycombe held their own in the Championship and were only relegated on the final day of the season a year later before again reaching the play-off final in a defeat to Sunderland. Ainsworth left Wycombe after 11 years to join QPR but failed to achieve success, winning just five of his 23 matches after replacing Neil Critchley. The 51-year-old will hope to get his managerial back on track at Priestfield Stadium and mount a promotion push in years to come.

Read More: Bristol Rovers’ nail-biting League One run-in and difficulty compared to Burton Albion and Northampton