Former Bristol Rovers manager Ben Garner has been sacked by Charlton Athletic.
Garner took charge at The Valley in the summer, but he has lost his job after a run of five games without a win in League One, with Friday's 1-0 home defeat to Cheltenham Town the final straw for Addicks owner Thomas Sandgaard.
The Gas are due to travel to Charlton on December 17, but there will be no reunion with their former boss.
Sangaard said in a statement on Charlton's website: “We would like to thank Ben for his hard work and commitment to the job. In his time at Charlton, the club have achieved some stand-out results, including big wins against some of the better teams in this league.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to sustain a consistency of results and our league position and recent form have left us in a situation where we had to act to give ourselves the best opportunity to get the most from this season as well as building a positive and winning environment for future years.
“We wish Ben the best for the future. Our search for a new manager has begun.”
Garner was snapped up by the Addicks in the summer after leading Swindon Town into the League Two play-offs lasts season, losing out in the semi-final on penalties to Port Vale.
He made a decent start in charge, losing just one of his first six games, including a 5-1 win over current league leaders Plymouth Argyle. A difficult run has followed, though, and expectations at The Valley were for a promotion push. A dismal run of form has hastened his departure.
Garner's first managerial job was with the Gas, replacing Graham Coughlan in December 2019. It was a period of struggle for the club with Garner steering the team to just two wins before the season was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
The former Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion coach was backed to rebuild that summer, but Wael Al-Qadi called time on his tenure in November 2020 following a heavy defeat to Fleetwood Town, coincidentally managed by now Gas boss Joey Barton.
The 42-year-old left Rovers after 33 games in charge, winning just six for a win percentage of just 18 per cent.
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