Marcus Bignot: Chester manager to leave club at end of season

Marcus Bignot joined Chester in September 2017, five months after being sacked by Grimsby Town

Chester manager Marcus Bignot will leave the National League club when his contract runs out at the end of the season.

The 43-year-old was appointed to the position in September, after former manager Jon McCarthy left the club.

Chester are second from bottom in the league and 10 points adrift of safety with six games left to play.

"The board want to place on record their thanks to Marcus for remaining professional," a statement said.

"This season has been an extremely tough one to endure for each and every Chester FC supporter. It has also been a challenging environment for Marcus to be involved with. The board wishes to emphasise that we understand the frustrations of all concerned."

The decision not to renew Bignot's contract came following a meeting of the City Fans United board of directors on Monday.

Former Solihull Moors and Grimsby Town boss Bignot has won just five of his 32 games in charge of Chester, losing 18 and drawing the other nine.

The financially-troubled fan-owned club successfully raised £100,000 to ensure they could keep going for the rest of the season, however Friday's defeat by Torquay left them closer to relegation to the sixth tier.