‘This may look a strange decision’ – York City SACK manager Stuart Maynard despite promotion to EFL with 108 points

YORK CITY have confirmed the exit of manager Stuart Maynard just months after he guided the club back into the English Football League after a decade away. York won the National League in dramatic circumstances in April, scoring an equaliser in the 103rd minute to draw with title rivals Rochdale – who would have been champions themselves had they won. Staurt Maynard has left the club with immediate effect Credit: Shutterstock Back in April, York secured one of the all-time great final day promotions Credit: Getty But Maynard won’t get to see the fruits of his labour. The club says they had a “difference in direction and vision for the football club,” with Maynard. A club statement read: “York City Football Club can confirm that Stuart Maynard will be leaving his role as First Team Manager, with immediate effect. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! “This has not been an easy decision, and it is not one the board has taken lightly. “Ultimately, it comes down to a difference in direction and vision for the football club. We recognise that, from the outside, this may look like a strange or difficult decision to understand. “But we believe that in the long term, the football club will be in a stronger position because of it, another step towards the vision we, as custodians of this club, believe will deliver sustained success. “Like every one of you, we love this football club, and we would never make a decision we didn’t believe was in its best long-term interests. We hope our track record of improving year on year has earned us a degree of trust, and we understand that not everyone will agree with, or fully understand, this decision right away. “We would like to thank Stuart for his contribution to York City FC and wish him well for the future.” The club have not left themselves long to figure things out. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Still, Maynard’s CV is one that reads well and he won’t struggle for another job Credit: Getty York host Crawley Town in a Carabao Cup preliminary-round tie on Monday, 3 August and their first League Two arrives 12 days later against Bristol Rovers. Maynard, who had a semi-professional playing career scattered around the south-east that finished with Hemel Hempstead Town, had been at the club for just one solitary season. Prior to that, he had fallen short with Notts County in the League Two playoffs during an 18-month spell in charge following good work during his three years in the Wealdstone hot seat; his first post. Comment now