SELBY TOWN have sacked manager Dave Ricardo.

The Northern Counties East League division one club confirmed they had parted company with Ricardo and his assistant Bill Gill in a statement on Friday morning.

The Robins have appointed Nigel Emery and Ruben Pearse as joint managers on an interim basis until the end of the season.

The statement read: “It is with regret that Selby Town announce that they have parted company with manager David Ricardo. We would like to thank Dave for all his time and efforts over the past two seasons and wish him all the best for his future.

“The club will take their time over the coming weeks to consider all options to move forward.”

Former Bridlington Town midfielder Ricardo, appointed in May 2014, took the Robins to an 11th place finish in his first season at Flaxley Road.

In Ricardo’s fourth year in management, following a successful spell at Beverley Town, Selby are currently 12th.

Ricardo expressed his disappointment at the decision, saying: “I’m gutted, especially with the timing of the decision.

“We’ve six points better off and four places higher than we were last season. We’ve broken the record victories in the Vase and the League and we’re in the fourth round of the League Cup.

“Admittedly, we’re ten points off where I feel we should be and I’ll take some of the blame for that. Those ten points would put us in the playoffs.

“The budget was not a massive one by any means and it was asking a lot of the players to travel two or three times a week without petrol money. I committed for two seasons when I first joined and the club also said two seasons so I’m slightly disappointed with that.

“I wish the club all the best for the future. It’s still a club with potential and changes were slowly being made on and off the pitch.”

Concerns raised by the board, who reached the decision unanimously, included the high turnover of players at the club, particularly in defensive positions. Following Grant Bulmer’s debut in the 3-1 midweek win over Yorkshire Amateur, Town had fielded 13 different centre-half combinations.

Under Ricardo, the club have broken their record FA Vase victory record by beating Askern 12-0 and their 14-0 defeat of Lincoln Moorlands Railway was the highest in the history of the Northern Counties East League.

Emery and Ruben Pearse will form Selby's 11th management team since the end of Bob Lyon’s 12-year spell in 2010.

Ralph Pearse stated the club had considered parting company with Ricardo twice before Christmas.

“The club expected to be in a bit better position than we are now," he said. “Last year, the committee came to an agreement that we would carry on with Dave until the end of the season.

“I had a word with Dave at the end of the season and he said he’d learned from last year.

“I don’t think that’s quite happened because he’s got 60 or 70 players signed on and we never have the same team twice.

“Sacking Dave had been discussed twice before Christmas and we gave him a few more games both times.

“We did it now simply because if a manager leaves he might take players with him. The transfer window as such is in March, if we have to get players in we’ve got a chance to get them in.

“The new managers will look to bring some local players in and hopefully aim for a high finish.”