Cork City have sacked manager Alan Mathews after just one season in charge.
A statement on the club's website confirmed that they had suspended discussions and withdrawn all recent offers to Mathews regarding a new contract at Turner's Cross.
And Mathews has since confirmed that he was relieved of his duties as manager during a phone call with club Chairman Tom Coughlan this morning and that he will consult with his legal team to investigate the avenues open to him.
Speaking exclusively to Des Cahill on RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime Sport, the former Longford Town boss revealed: 'Unfortunately Des, I received a phone call this morning from the chairman Tom Coughlan advising me that I was no longer the manager, and having got over the initial shock, it set in a little bit and I realise now that I am finished and it's deeply upsetting.'
The club had earlier posted an ambiguous statement on their website which suggested that Mathews had left the club, without laying out the particular details of his departure.
But Mathews insisted: 'I refute what was said on the club website, that's going to be a matter for my legal team to take issue with, but the situation is Des that I had fully intended on fulfilling the remaining two years on my contract with the club, and what's most disappointing is that the opportunity to work with a terrific bunch of players has been denied to me.'
Despite the abruptness of his departure, Mathews believes his tenure has been relatively successful given the club's off-field problems, and also paid tribute to the club's many fans who made his move to Cork enjoyable from day one.
He added: 'I'm disappointed but one thing I would like to say to the people of Cork who received me down there, and my family, I'd like to thank them because I was made to feel very, very welcome and I thoroughly enjoyed my 12 months there, or 11 months as it happened to be.'
Cork have just come out of examinership and the move is an attempt to restructure the finances of the club.
Under Mathews, Cork won this season's Setanta Sports Cup and finished fifth in the eircom League of Ireland Premier Division, despite having ten points deducted for going into examinership.
A spokesman for the club said they are seeking a replacement for the man who arrived from Longford Town during the close season.
City Chairman Coughlan said in the statement: 'Alan has been a tremendous leader throughout the examinership process and is a very talented football manager and I would like to thank him for efforts in this difficult time for the club. I have no doubt he will have a great future in football.'
The club's CEO Gerry Nagle said: 'We are all operating in a tough economic environment and everybody has a role to play to ensure the survival of top class football in Cork.
'Realistic cost structures are a key component in terms of our long term plans for the Club. In this challenging economic environment we must deliver extra value for a sustainable future for the club.'
Mathews has been strongly linked with other managerial vacancies in the past few weeks, including the job at Shamrock Rovers.
Mathews gave up his position as a bank manager to take on the Cork City role full-time, so a return to the industry is also a possibility.
