Burton Albion: Gary Mills steps up as caretaker boss after Dino Maamria's sacking

Burton are two places and four points above the League One relegation places

Burton Albion first-team coach Gary Mills has stepped up as caretaker boss as the Brewers search for Dino Maamria's permanent replacement.

Tunisian Maamria, 49, was sacked as manager following Saturday's League One loss against Stevenage.

Mills, 42, a former assistant manager at Wrexham, had joined Maamria's backroom staff in September.

He joined the Brewers from Coventry City, where he worked as lead professional development phase coach.

Burton chairman Ben Robinson issued just a 13-word statement on Saturday to say Maamria's 15-month tenure as boss had come to an end, but elaborated on the decision when naming Mills as his interim replacement.

"It's always a sad time when a manager leaves the club under these circumstances and we are disappointed that it didn't work out as we had hoped with Dino Maamria," Robinson told the club website.

"Dino was with the club for three years as assistant manager and manager and we want to thank him for what he did last season, galvanising the team in January with the signings he made that moved us away from relegation."

Mills, who counts Lincoln City, Mansfield Town and Stevenage among the clubs he played for, has previously also worked as a coach at King's Lynn, Northampton Town and MK Dons.

He will be in charge of Saturday's game at Oxford, with Burton looking to end a six-game winless run in the league that includes five defeats.