Former West Ham United and Southampton academy coach Anthony Limbrick has been sacked by Welsh champions The New Saints (TNS) just months after winning the league title with them.
Limbrick had spent just over a year in charge of TNS in the Welsh Premier League, winning TNS’ first league title in the first space of three seasons earlier this year. However, despite winning the league title last season, he has left the club on the eve of the start of the new Welsh Premier League season after crashing out of the qualifying rounds of both the Champions League and the Europa Conference League.
TNS exited the Champions League to Northern Irish side against Linfield earlier this month in the first qualifying round of the competition before losing to Icelandic side Vikungur Reykjavik in the second round of qualifying of the Europa Conference League, the same competition West Ham will be entering in the play-off round qualification round of.
READ MORE: Europa Conference League play-off draw: West Ham’s potential opponents, date and format
In a statement, TNS said: “The New Saints Football Club have relieved first team head coach, Anthony Limbrick, of his duties with immediate effect, with a view to agreeing a mutually agreed termination of his contract. The club would like to thank Anthony for the work he carried out at the club and will be making no further comment on the decision at this time.”
Limbrick had a short spell in West Ham’s academy prior to taking his first managerial role with Woking in 2017. Before working for the Hammers, he had been part of Southampton’s coaching staff working under both Ronald Koeman and Mauricio Pochettino.
The 39-year-old Australian spent almost a year in charge of Woking before becoming Grimsby Town’s manager on an interim basis for eight games in 2019. He then joined TNS last year, winning the league title losing just seven of his 58 games as TNS’ manager.
The Welsh side’s European exit means that they are not one of 31 sides that could be drawn against the Hammers in the play-off qualifying round, although Irish duo Sligo Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic will both be in the draw.
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