Southend United 0-4 Chesterfield: Southend sack Phil Brown after fans protest
- Published
Southend fans protested during and after the game
Southend United sacked boss Phil Brown minutes after full-time in a game where fans ran onto the pitch and protested against chairman Ron Martin.
The pitch invasion came late in the 4-0 National League defeat by Chesterfield with a banner saying 'Martin out'.
There were 14 minutes of stoppage time.
Just over 30 minutes after full-time, the club released a statement, which said: "Phil Brown and [assistant] Craig Fagan have been relieved of their duties effective immediately."
Brown was reappointed in April, his second spell in charge, but could not keep them in the English Football League.
The club are only above the National League relegation zone on goal difference and in danger of a third consecutive relegation.
Danny Rowe scored a hat-trick and Saidou Khan also netted in the big win for fourth-placed Chesterfield.
Southend supporters also ran onto the pitch on Tuesday to protest when they beat Eastleigh.
In May the Shrimpers dropped out of the Football League for the first time in 101 years, with plans to sell Roots Hall to planning developers.
Southend spent five seasons in League One, narrowly missing out on the play-offs in 2017, but have been relegated twice in a row.
Martin has been Southend's chairman since 2000.
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