Gillingham Football Club this evening announced they had sacked manager Steve Lovell with immediate effect following a meeting between the manager and the chairman.

The Gills secured their safety last week bar a highly unlikely set of circumstances but essentially they will be in League One next season.

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The club released a brief statement that simply read:

“After a discussion between the Chairman and Manager this afternoon, the Club can confirm that Steve Lovell has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect.

“Mark Patterson will take responsibility for the game against Charlton tomorrow, and Blackpool next week.

“The Club would like to thank Steve for his efforts with the team over the past 18 months and wish him well for the future.

“There will be no further comment at this stage.”

Steve Lovell has overseen some excellent performances during his tenure with the win against Premier League Cardiff in the FA Cup perhaps the most famous of them all.

The dismissal has not been received well by fans and this news has come out of the blue with no one expecting the popular manager to leave the club.

There have been rumours that Steve Evans was to be brought in as director of football but he is now thought to be favourite to take over as manager. The divisive figure was sacked earlier this season after a poor run of form saw his Peterborough side slip out of the play-off places.

Whoever takes over at the Priestfield will need to address their poor home form which has been an issue for several season but Lovell deserves credit making sure the team will be in the third tier for 2019/20.

Twitter reacts

Gills fans have not been happy with the decision. Here are some of their reactions from twitter: