Play-off chasing Barnsley sacked Darrell Clarke on Wednesday as the gap to the top six extended to eight points.
Clarke took over at Oakwell over the summer and has the Tykes sat 10th, eight points adrift of the play-offs after two successive failed promotion campaigns.
Clarke has twice won promotion, both from League Two with Bristol Rovers and Port Vale, but Barnsley are now unlikely to reach their aim and have parted company, with former Aston Villa and Barnsley midfielder Conor Hourihane taking over as interim until the end of the season.
Chairman, Neerav Parekh said: “We would like to thank Darrell for his efforts in a season which has been difficult for various reasons. Darrell has worked extremely hard to try and get the team competitive and pushing for promotion, unfortunately, we find ourselves eight points away from the play-offs and feel that a change is needed.”
Sporting Director, Mladen Sormaz added: "Darrell is someone I respect and have enjoyed working with and I’d like to thank him for his efforts this season. Whilst a list of replacements has been identified, we will take some time to ensure the next appointment is the right one with a focus on playing identity, returning to high pressing and attacking football. We believe that Conor can help to create enough bounce to keep us fighting for the top six until the end of the season. We will also be working in parallel to have a new Head Coach in place over the summer.”
Barnsley visit Reading on the final day of the season, with the Royals currently two points outside the top six.
Meanwhile, Wigan Athletic have appointed former Plymouth Argyle boss Ryan Lowe as their new manager.
The Latics sacked Shaun Maloney after their 2-1 defeat to Reading a fortnight ago, but have confirmed the former Preston North End chief on a long-term deal.
“I’m pleased to be here because it’s a fantastic Football Club with history and tradition, Lowe said. "The Club has had some good times and some bad times, and I’m here to bring the good times back. Hopefully we can have the Brick bouncing every Saturday afternoon and Tuesday evening.
“I’m really excited about the project and I liked what the Ownership Group had to say. They showed me the vision of the Football Club and talked about getting the Club back to where it belongs - and the first target is to get to the Championship.”
“We’ve got to take short, mid and then long term steps to get there. We’ve got a vision and a plan, which is the most important thing. If we all buy into that plan and vision, I’m sure we will be successful.
“I’m really excited for the future and to build Wigan Athletic back to where they should be."
