Paul Simpson has been sacked as manager of League Two side Shrewsbury Town after a little over two years in charge, following a run of seven defeats in 10 games which has seen the Shrews drop out of contention for a play-off place.

Simpson arrived in March 2008 with the side facing a battle to retain their Football League status. Having achieved that initial goal he then led the team to last season's play-off final at Wembley, where they lost 1-0 to Gillingham. This season has been a relative disappointment, and with two games to go they stand 12th and have only a mathematical chance of qualifying for this year's play-offs. He was however offered a contract extension in November, which was set to run until 2012.

"It is obviously a big wrench to be leaving Shrewsbury Town but I am very proud to have managed the club and to have led them out at Wembley, in a play-off final," Simpson said in a statement. "I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all of my staff and players for their professionalism throughout my time at the club. Finally I would like to thank the fans for their support and to wish everyone connected with the club success in the future."

Yesterday the midfielder Terry Dunfield insisted that Simpson retained the squad's backing. "The boys stick together and we look up to the manager," Dunfield said. "He is taking training. Everything's normal. We're just focusing on Morecambe. Everybody will be giving their all for the manager on Saturday."