Name: Shrewsbury Town Football Club
Founded: 1886
Ground: Montgomery Waters Meadow
Capacity: 9,875
Manager: Sam Ricketts
Last season: 18th in Sky Bet League One
Tranmere Rovers manager Micky Mellon will face one of his former sides next season with Shrewsbury Town to compete at Sky Bet League One level for the fifth consecutive campaign in 2019/20.
The Salop ended last term with an 18th placed finish in the division, winning 12, drawing 16 and losing 18 of their 46 games to amass 52 points – surviving in the third-tier by two-points.
Shrewsbury have made four signings this summer as preparations continue, with Aaron Pierre, Ethan Ebanks-Landell, Steve Morison and Daniel Udoh all recruited.
Winning one of their final five outings, the men from Shropshire will be aiming to push on under the management of former Hull City, Bolton Wanderers and Wales full-back Sam Ricketts.
Ricketts was appointed at the New Meadow in December, replacing John Askey in the hotseat, to guide Shrewsbury to survival in Sky Bet League One come the conclusion of 2018/19.
As well as securing their Sky Bet League One status, Ricketts also took Shrewsbury to the Emirates FA Cup Fourth-Round, where after a 3-2 victory away at Stoke City in a replay, the Shrews were defeated 3-2 by local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in a Fourth-Round replay at Molineux.
In a professional playing career that spanned 16-years, Aylesbury-born Ricketts came through Oxford United’s youth system to turn professional at the U’s between 2000-2003, making 45 appearances.
Ricketts switched to Shropshire-based Telford United in 2004, where he featured 41 times prior to signing for Swansea City in 2004 on a free-transfer.
During his first campaign in South Wales, Ricketts won promotion from League Two in 200405, while a year later, the Swans won the Football League Trophy at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in 2006.
Following 103 Swansea appearances, Ricketts moved to Hull City for £300,000 in July 2006, helping the Tigers to Premier League promotion under the Wembley Stadium arch in the Championship in May 2008.
Ricketts made 113 appearances for the East Yorkshire club, 29 of which in the top-flight and would transfer to Bolton for an undisclosed fee in July 2009.
The former Wales international, capped 52 times by the Dragons, was in the North West for four-years, making 96 appearances in the Premier League and the Championship in a Trotters shirt.
Departing the Reebok Stadium in the summer of 2013, Ricketts was a Sky Bet League One title winner at Wolves in May 2014, spending the final years of his career with Swindon Town and Coventry City, retiring in 2016.
The 37-year-old moved into management with Wrexham in May 2018 before being appointed as Shrewsbury boss last December.
Tranmere Rovers welcome Shrewsbury Town to Prenton Park on Saturday 5th October before heading to the New Meadow on the Saturday 4th January.
TRFC have a good record against the Salop, winning 21, drawing 10 and losing 10.