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Cork City and embattled manager Tommy Dunne have today parted company as the Leesiders slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Limerick last night and have now been dragged into a relegation battle.





In a statement released by the club today, Cork Chairman Michael Ring said that it was not an easy decision to cut ties with Dunne,



“The board have not come to this decision lightly or hastily, and we are extremely grateful to Tommy for all he has done for us over the last few years. We will always remember his time here fondly and wish him the very best for the future, but we feel our decision is in the best interests of the club. We must now look forward to our upcoming FAI Cup game against Kilbarrack and mid-season friendly against West Brom.”



Dunne was appointed Cork manager in 2010, days before the start of the First Division season and he lead the Leesiders back to the Premier Division at the first time of asking. However, he has lost four of the last six league games which has seen his side get dragged into the relegation battle.



Speaking after the loss to Limerick last night, a deflated Dunne admitted that his side had now well and truly been dragged into a battle to avoid the drop.





Last season they qualified for the Setanta Cup with a mid-table finish, but results this season have seen them slump to seventh and there has been a clear unrest amongst the supporters.





Only this week Cork let three players go, two of which had their contracts cancelled in Adam Rundle and Denis Behan while Daryl Kavanagh was allowed move to St Pats and with no replacements brought in there was always a feeling of disharmony in the squad.



Stuart Ashton, Cork’s U-19 manager, will now takeover in a caretaker role on a week to week basis.