Struggling Bristol City axe Cotterill
Bristol City have sacked manager Steve Cotterill, the struggling Championship club announced on Thursday. Cotterill, 51, led City to the League One title last season, but he was axed after a miserable run left his side languishing in the second-tier relegation zone. A run of just one win in 11 league matches had put the Ashton Gate outfit in severe danger of a quick return to the third tier. "I brought Steve Cotterill into Bristol City just over two years ago as I believed he could keep us in League One that year and build from there," chairman Keith Dawe told the club's official website. "Steve did keep us in the division and went on, in conjunction with the rest of the organisation, to deliver a League One championship and Johnstone's Paint Trophy. That season will live in the memory for a long time. "Sadly, since the highs of last March and May things have not gone our way on the pitch and Steve has now left the club." Following the former Nottingham Forest and Portsmouth manager's departure, assistant John Pemberton and under-21 boss Wade Elliott will take charge of the team for Saturday's visit of Middlesbrough.
