Jonathan Ross Takes Pressure Off Geordie Boy!

Ward guided the club to an impressive start to the season with an unbeaten run of five matches but that was followed by a dismal run of 10 games without a win in League One - including nine defeats - which has left them 20th.

A statement on the club's official website read: "The club thank John for his service over the last 13 months but after suffering 10 defeats and a draw in our last 11 games - a run which has seen us slide from second to 20th in the League One table - we agreed the time had come for us to go our separate ways.

"Assistant manager Greg Abbott has immediately been appointed caretaker manager with the full backing of everyone at the club."

We tried to track down Bridges for a comment, but sadly his mobile phone was switched off.