Mark Yates: Cheltenham Town sack manager

Yates was Cheltenham's seventh manager since entering the Football League in 1999-2000

Cheltenham Town have parted company with manager Mark Yates after almost five years in charge.

The 44-year-old's departure follows a run of four successive League Two defeats that have left the team 18th.

Yates was the third-longest serving manager in England's top four divisions, following Arsenal's Arsene Wenger and Exeter boss Paul Tisdale.

The Robins have said they will announce Yates' replacement at 14:00 GMT on Wednesday.

"It was the most difficult decision I've had to make in my time here," chairman Paul Baker said in a statement on Yates' sacking.

Birmingham-born Yates played 230 games for the club between 1999 and 2004, scoring 22 goals, captaining the side under Steve Cotterill when they won the 2002 play-off final against Rushden & Diamonds to earn promotion to the third tier.

He then returned from Kidderminster Harriers as manager in December 2009 after Martin Allen left by mutual consent.

The Robins reached the League Two play-offs in 2011-12 and again the following season, but Yates was unable to emulate Cotterill and John Ward, who led them to promotion to League One in 2006-07.

His final match in charge was a 4-1 home defeat by Wycombe on Saturday.

"Mark was understandably very upset and I was too," Baker's statement continued.

"Everybody who knows him will have a lot of sadness with the decision we've had to take, but we have to look after the business and look at results and performances.

"Something is not quite right and the manager has to take responsibility."