Forest Green Rovers have parted company with Head Coach Mark Cooper after five years of working together, a tenure which made him one of the longest serving coaches in English football - and during which the club achieved its historic promotion to the EFL.

Chairman Dale Vince said: “This decision we’ve made today is about giving ourselves the best chance of securing promotion with six games left.

"Despite our collective efforts we’ve been unable to halt our slide in form, which has the potential to take us out of contention this season.

“I’ve enjoyed working with Mark these last five years, he’s made a big contribution to the club and will always be a friend. In football sometimes you just need to make a change - and with Mark’s contract ending next month, and us needing a change in the next six games - this feels like the right decision.”

As a result of the change, Assistant Head Coach Richard Dryden has also left the club.

Under-18s Manager Jimmy Ball will be interim Head Coach of the first-team until the end of the season. Further updates will be provided to supporters over coming days.