Blue Square Premier club Luton Town have parted company with manager Mick Harford by mutual consent.
Harford began his managerial career with the Hatters in January 2008 whilst the Club was in administration.
After forty points deductions over two seasons led the club to two successive relegations, the club has found itself struggling to keep pace with the only guaranteed promotion spot in the Blue Square Premier after two months and thirteen games.
Luton Town managing director Gary Sweet issued the following statement on the club's first management change since 2002: "The entire board are incredibly disappointed to part company with Mick, who we all had a great relationship with.
"It was an incredibly tough business decision that was made with a very heavy heart. Mick has been a wonderful servant and an impeccable ambassador for Luton Town over the last couple of years and we would like to thank him immensely, particularly for his help in stabilising the club and for his loyalty."
During his reign at Kenilworth Road, Harford rejected numerous offers from other clubs in favour of seeing through the task in hand at Luton citing his ambition to steer the Hatters back into the League as his personal mission.
Regarding the grounds for the decision, Sweet said: "Together, we agreed tough targets and milestones at the beginning of the season which we have been increasingly more challenging to achieve.
"Mick hasn't seen a single stroke of luck throughout this campaign and if perhaps we had fewer injuries I am sure things have been different.
"Whilst results, and in particular, performances have not reached our expectation, Mick's attitude, conduct and his management of our squad regeneration programme has been nothing short of remarkable considering the budget constraints and challenges he has had to deal with during his time here.
"This club is far stronger now than it was when Mick joined."
Current first-team coach, Alan Neilson, will become caretaker-manager with immediate effect until a first-team manager has been recruited.
Regarding Harford's replacement, Sweet said: "This isn't an issue we had expected to cope with at the start of this season but you we need to have contingencies for every eventuality in football.
"We know what we're doing and our target of getting back into League at our first attempt, of course, remains unchanged.
"We will be advertising the manager's position and will be looking to find a suitable candidate as soon as possible."
Sweet added: "We wish Mick every success in the immediate and long term future and we urge all Luton Town supporters to sincerely thank him for his commitment to our club.
"We'd also like to thank Mick for the last season's magnificent achievement of winning the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.
"It was won in spectacular fashion in front of 40,000 of our supporters at Wembley and will go down as a proud day to be a Hatters fan."
