Cork City manager Neale Fenn has left the club

Cork City manager Neale Fenn makes his way to the dug out ahead of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match between Cork City and St. Patrick's Athletic at Turners Cross in Cork. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Cork City manager Neale Fenn has left the club, with his departure set to be confirmed this morning.

With City mired at the foot of the SSE Airtricity Premier Division with just five games to go in the current campaign, the club has acted in a last-ditch bid to stave off the drop.

Fenn's assistant Joe Gamble has also reportedly left the club, with Colin Healy, currently head of City's academy, tipped to take over the first team until the end of the season. 

Fenn joined City as manager in August 2019, but has managed just four wins in 22 league games since taking charge, and just two so far this season.

City's eight defeats so far in this truncated campaign leaves them two points behind ninth-placed Finn Harps, and in danger of missing out on even a playoff to avoid relegation to the First Division.

Their survival hopes suffered another bitter blow last Saturday in a 2-1 home defeat by St Patrick's Athletic.

City visit second-placed Bohemians on Friday, followed by a home game against Dundalk next Tuesday.

Earlier in the week, winger Daire O'Connor confirmed he had left the club having been substituted in the first half of that defeat by St Pat's.

And earlier today, it was confirmed that the board of Foras, the supporters’ trust which owns Cork City, has backed a proposal that would see the club sold to Grovemoor Ltd.

Grovemoor is controlled by English businessman Trevor Hemmings, who also owns Preston North End.

Members of Foras have been informed of a general meeting that will take place on Wednesday, October 28 when they will vote on the proposed takeover.