Ben Garner: Colchester United sack boss after four successive defeats

Ben Garner won seven of his 28 games as Colchester United boss

Struggling League Two side Colchester United have sacked head coach Ben Garner after seven months in charge.

Saturday's 2-1 home reverse by Harrogate left the U's second-bottom in the fourth tier after four successive league defeats.

Garner, 43, took over in March after Matt Bloomfield left to become League One Wycombe Wanderers' boss.

The former Bristol Rovers, Swindon and Charlton manager won seven of his 28 games in charge.

Colchester, who have lost nine of their 13 league games this season, travel to Grimsby on Tuesday and then face another long trip to Accrington on Saturday.

They are the fifth League Two team to change manager this campaign after Tranmere, Bradford, Gillingham and MK Dons.

After their first game of the season against Swindon was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch, the U's began with three straight league defeats.

They claimed a surprise 3-0 home win over Gillingham to collect their first win of the season and beat high-flying Notts County 5-4 in a terrific encounter last month.

However, they have lost their past four league games, including a 5-0 thumping at fellow strugglers Forest Green last Saturday, and the club have decided to make a change as they look to avoid a relegation to non-league for the first time since 1992.

Colchester performances 'have tailed off'

Analysis - BBC Essex sport editor Victoria Polley

The departure of Ben Garner as head coach of Colchester is and isn't a surprise.

After a 5-0 thrashing at Forest Green Rovers, he spoke of being determined to turn the club's losing culture around.

But seven days later, after a 2-1 defeat at home by Harrogate Town which leaves them second from bottom in League Two, he's been relieved of his duties.

Garner joined the club back in March, a second external head coach brought in after a string of internal appointments failed to address the U's' issue of dodging relegation out of the EFL for the past three seasons.

Garner was backed by chairman Robbie Cowling in the summer transfer window but has been hampered with injuries to his squad this season, meaning the average age of the current team is around 22.

The style of play that he has implemented has been pleasing to watch but aside from significant wins over Gillingham and Notts County, who both topped League Two at the time of the U's' victories, those performances haven't necessarily translated into points and have tailed off in recent weeks.

Football is a results-based business and Colchester United will have to have yet another reset and change of personnel as they look to turn things around and swerve the threat of relegation into the National League once again this season.