Buckle sacked by Rovers

Bristol Rovers have confirmed the sacking of manager Paul Buckle following a disappointing run of results.

The npower League Two club made the decision to part company with the former Torquay boss, 42, after Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Barnet consigned them to a fourth successive loss which left them five points above the Football League's bottom two.

Rovers have failed to win in eight league games - their last success coming at home to Dagenham & Redbridge on October 29 - and sit 19th in the table but do have an FA Cup third-round tie at home to Aston Villa to come on Saturday.

Chairman Nick Higgs told the club's official website: "We are all very disappointed that this appointment has not worked out. Although we are aware we need to find stability at the club, we felt we could not go any further with the current situation as the threat of relegation was becoming too real.

"We started the season with a great deal of hope for a successful campaign but this has not been the case so far, despite promising early form. Our aim this season was to strive for promotion and that has obviously not happened, so we felt we needed to make a change."

Assistant manager Shaun North will take temporary charge while Rovers look for a successor.

Source: PA

Source: PA