Stuart Maynard has been sacked as manager of York City after 11 months in charge.
In his sole season in charge of York, he led them to promotion back to EFL for the first time since the 2015-16 season as National League champions.
Club bosses however decided to unexpectedly sack him “with immediate effect” just eight days before their season commences on Monday 3 August with a preliminary round tie against Crawley Town at home in the Carabao Cup on Monday 3 August at 7:30pm BST.
In a club statement on their official social media account, club bosses explained that the decision to sack Maynard was down to creative differences between the board and Maynard about the club’s direction but feels that the timing will strengthen the club.
“This has not been an easy decision, and it is not one the board has taken lightly. Ultimately, it comes down to a difference in direction and vision for the football club.
“We recognise that, from the outside, this may look like a strange or difficult decision to understand. But we believe that in the long term, the football club will be in a stronger position because of it, another step towards the vision we, as custodians of this club, believe will deliver sustained success.
“Like every one of you, we love this football club, and we would never make a decision we didn’t believe was in its best long-term interests. We hope our track record of improving year on year has earned us a degree of trust, and we understand that not everyone will agree with, or fully understand, this decision right away.
“We would like to thank Stuart for his contribution to York City FC and wish him well for the future.”