Former Basingstoke Town manager Frank Gray has expressed his disappointment after being sacked by club chairman Rafi Razzak.
The Dragons announced on Monday that Gray, 57, who has led the club for the past four seasons, had been released alongside assistant manager Gerry Murphy with immediate effect.
Basingstoke academy manager Jason Bristow, 31, from Hatch Warren, has been installed as the new boss until the end of the season.
Bristow, a former player who made 350 appearances for the Dragons after his debut for the club in 1999, will be aided by assistant first team manager Kevin Braybrook.
Speaking to the Basingstoke Observer, Gray said he was surprised at the clubs decision.
“Obviously I am disappointed,” said Gray. “The chairman’s made a decision and you have to abide by it.
“The chairman has always stated that this season he’s wanted to be in the play-offs and the way things are going it does not look like we are getting there.
“We have been hit by suspensions and injuries over the last month or so and that’s affected us. We felt that our next four games were winnable and we would be in a strong position again.
“The game has been my life for 40 years and I feel that I’ve still got a good bit to offer the game.”
Former Scotland international and Leeds United player Gray joined Town as manager in May 2008 and has previously managed Sunderland, Woking, and Farnborough Town.
In October Basingstoke earned a place in the FA Cup first round with a 2−1 win against Staines Town, extending an unbeaten run of 14 matches.
But the Dragons' form has slipped in the past four months, with the Camrose side banking three wins, seven losses and four draws.
Currently the Conference South outfit are tenth in the Blue Square Bet table on 39 points, 12 points adrift of fifth place play-off outfit Sutton United.
February’s campaign has been blighted by injuries to striker Tim Sills, while Ross Adams is recovering from a broken leg and regulars Wes Daly and David Pratt have both been suspended.
New manager Bristow told the Observer that he was the man to rekindle the floundering Camrose side.
“Looking at the league position we are in now, we are 12 points off the play-offs, obviously it’s not dead and buried but we need to turn results around,” he said.
“It’s time to look at things, the recent performances have not been too bad, we just need to turn performances into results.
“We have got the players who are all good enough to be in the play-off spot, so we need to look at getting a little bit more from the players. All we can do now is take one game at a time.
“I’ve been here for 13 years now, almost 10 as a player, I know the club, I know how it runs, and have been first team coach for two seasons. It’s up to me now to get the best out of the players. I am very confident that I can do things the right way, I personally believe I have a lot to offer so that come the end of the season I will have done enough to warrant the job full time.”
Following the announcement, players Jay Gasson and Delano Sam-Yorke retweeted a post from Basingstoke Town FC’s official profile supporting the new appointment. It read: “All the best to @bristowbtfc in his role as first team manager, now lets get behind the team and get back to winning football.”
In an official statement, the club said: “The club are very grateful to Frank and Gerry for all their hard work and contribution over the last four years, we will remember them fondly and wish them luck for the future. We wish both Jason and Kevin luck and success.”
Rafi Razzak was unavailable for comment.
