Gillingham have made the surprising decision to sack head coach Stephen Clemence after six months in charge.

Clemence joined the Gills as head coach in November, as the permanent replacement for Neil Harris, who was also surprisingly sacked himself when well-placed in League 2.

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The latest bombshell from the Gills comes just two days after the end of the League 2 season, where the team finished in 12th place.

Despite the disappointment of missing out on their top-seven target, there was little indication that the club would make a change.

Clemence was looking forward to a summer transfer window and building a side more to his liking. He was eager to return to work today (Monday), as work on transforming the playing side continued, but has instead been told the club will be seeking someone else to lead the team.

Rumours of his departure started to circulate on Monday morning, with both he and assistant boss Robbie Stockdale relieved of their duties.

A month ago chairman Brad Galinson said Clemence would be staying at the Gills, regardless of where they finished, saying at the time: “Culturally and personality-wise they are fantastic, they fit our organisation perfectly and they absolutely have my support, they are very excited, play-offs or no play-offs, to get the first transfer window in the summer to get everything right and I have every expectation that next season we will see us come right out of the gate and continue where they left off.”

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On Saturday, in his programme notes, Mr Galinson wrote: “The next couple of months are very important to the football club.

“Recruitment needs to be spot on, our pre-season schedule needs to be meticulously planned and our mentality very much needs to be about making sure we are at least a top seven side in 2024/25. We are ready for the challenge.”

The Gills ended their season with a 2-2 draw against Doncaster Rovers on Saturday. Clemence had made some gains in the scoring department but the team struggled for wins in the run-in as they gradually slipped further from promotion contention.

After the game on Saturday, Clemence was asked about the pressure being on for next season and said: “I am not naive, it’s my first job as head coach but I have been involved since I was a little boy. I know anything can happen in football.”