Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Morecambe was a fourth straight league defeat, leaving them a point behind 22nd-placed Southend – although they have two games in hand.

Chairman Paul Hornby said: "It has become apparent even in such a short space of time that unfortunately the board and Michael have differing visions for how the team should play, which has led to this change being made.

"We believe that it's best to recognise this now and make the change early so that the team can concentrate on the remaining games of the season. We'd like to thank Michael for all of his hard work and wish him well in his future career."

Assistant Rob Kelly has been named as caretaker ahead of Tuesday's trip to Oldham, with Hornby saying the 56-year-old would remain in charge for the rest of the season.

"Rob has had a successful, albeit brief, spell in charge of the team earlier in the season and is aligned to our philosophies and culture," Hornby said.