SWINDON Town Football Club have sacked head coach Jody Morris and assistant coach Ed Brand.

Coaches Gavin Gunning and Steve Mildenhall will take interim charge of Swindon for the club’s last League Two fixture of the season against Crawley Town on Monday, May 8.

Morris’ final game at the helm came on Saturday when the Robins threw away a one-goal advantage late on to lose 2-1 against Crewe Alexandra at Mornflake Stadium.

The 44-year-old was only in charge for 18 matches in what was his first senior management role, but five of them resulted in late collapses where winning positions failed to be maintained.

Swindon’s hopes of repeating last year’s incredible play-off run have been over for some time now, and as a result of the weekend’s defeat, Town can finish anywhere between 10th and 15th in the table.

Meanwhile, assistant Brand spent just a dozen games in Wiltshire as a result of a protracted process to bring the 36-year-old to Swindon.

In Brand’s final home game, a 1-0 defeat to Stevenage, the Town coach was initially shown a yellow card for dissent when speaking to referee, Benjamin Speedie about a number of controversial penalty decisions after the full-time whistle.

Brand was later shown a straight red card as he continued his emotional outburst on his way off the pitch.

Morris only won four games after being appointed on January 31, and – in a statement from the club – Town said such a disappointing second half of the season led to owner Clem Morfuni making the decision.

Town said: “We would like to thank both Jody and Ed for their contribution and efforts since joining the football club, and wish them all the very best in the future.

“Our aim when they took over was to push on and finish the second half of the season strongly on the pitch, but as a club, we haven’t achieved our objectives.

“With just one more league game remaining before we reach the conclusion of the season, we feel now is the right time to take a fresh approach as we look to bring success back to this great club for 2023/24.”

Morris’ tenure in Swindon appeared to show a continuous disconnect with the club’s board, with the former Chelsea Under-18s boss regularly mentioning the lack of experience in his squad and recently revealing that he was not totally aware of next season’s potential budget.

The Robins say work is “already well underway” in the search to find a fourth head coach in less than two years since Morfuni took over at the County Ground.