Neal Ardley has left his position as manager of AFC Wimbledon by mutual consent, as confirmed by their official club website.
His assistant Neil Cox has also departed the club whilst Simon Bassey will take over as interim manager until a successor has been found.
Ardley, who is 46 years-old, played over 200 games for Wimbledon as a player and has been their boss for the past six years.
He went to work as manager of the Cardiff City academy after retiring before being returning to Wimbledon as manager in October 2012. Ardley guided the Dons to safety in League Two in his first season at the club.
After some steady seasons in the fourth tier, Ardley guided Wimbledon to promotion to League One in 2016 after winning the Play-Offs. They have since finished 15th and 18th there respectively.
However, Wimbledon have struggled so far in this campaign and have won just three games in 17 matches. They are currently 23rd in the league and six points from safety.
Ardley’s time has come to an end but he did a great job with Wimbledon overall and was a popular figure at Kingsmeadow.
Here is how their fans have reacted to his departure today on Twitter-
Thank you Neal for everything you have done for this club. It’s a shame it had to happen this way, but you’ll forever be a club legend. #AFCW
— Ben (@AFCWNeb) November 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/silvesterldn/status/1061935887259439104
It’s a sad day but it had to happen , we’ve been in free fall for a few months now . Need a manager who can ruffle a few feathers and get us up that table #AFCW
— Rick Bates (@rickbates11) November 12, 2018
Gutted Neal has gone. He's been badly let down by the players but will always be legend as he has done a truly amazing job since he's been with us #afcw
— Tim Lloyd (@Tim_Lloyd1) November 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/silvesterldn/status/1061926439820427264
Told ya. Thanks for the memories Ards but the writings been on the wall a while now! #AFCW https://t.co/5IVPcSbOGl
— Lawrence Tanner (@LawrenceTanner1) November 12, 2018