(Picture: Action Images)
Abu Ogogo says he and his fellow Shrewsbury team-mates feel like they let down their former manager Micky Mellon.
Scotsman Mellon, 44, was sacked by the Shrews after a wretched run of form that brought just two wins in the opening 11 games of this season's League One campaign.
He had been in charge at New Meadow since 2014, and guided the Shropshire side to League Two promotion in his first season, but only narrowly avoided an instant return to the league's bottom tier last season.
And midfielder Ogogo, 26, revealed how saddened he was to see the manager who brought him to the club depart.
He said: “He's a great manager. You have to get results and we haven't been getting them and unfortunately it falls on the manager's head.
“The boys feel like we've let him down – it's disappointing. He's the manager, he makes the decisions, but we're the ones on the pitch.”
However, now Mellon is gone, having returned to Tranmere, a club he has both played for and managed in the past, the Shrews' search for a new boss has begun.
After Saturday's defeat at high-flying Bradford, caretaker manager Danny Coyne, who is a goalkeeper coach at New Meadow, ruled himself out of the running, saying “I'm not cut out to be a manager. It's not something I'd be interested in.”
Former Wolves boss Kenny Jackett has also ruled himself out of the job, as has ex-Bristol City manager Steve Cotterill, but Morecambe boss Jim Bentley, Ian Holloway and Nigel Pearson have been linked to the role, which Ogogo admits is a a common topic of discussion in the changing room.
He said: “That's only natural. Obviously players have good relationships with some managers and not so good with others.
“It's a good club and there are a lot of managers who would want the job, but we can't really think about it too much.”