Stockport County Part Company With Darije Kalezic

DARIJE KALEZIC has left his position as manager of Blue Square Bet Premier club Stockport County.

The 43-year-old only took over at Edgeley Park in late January this year and oversaw 12 games.

Stockport picked up just 11 points from those matches – beating relegation rivals Nuneaton, Lincoln and Barrow – and now find themselves just two points above the Conference Premier dropzone.

The club’s vice chairman, Spencer Fearn, admits they made a mistake appointing Kalezic, whose only previous managerial experience came in Holland and Belgium.

In a statement on the club’s website, Fearn said: “Despite Darije having excellent calibre and being a top quality coach, the move, for a number of reasons, just hasn’t worked out how either party had envisaged.

“The reality is that despite our best intentions we believe that we got the decision to employ a manager without Conference experience wrong, and with seven cup finals remaining we have to try and make a positive move that will give us a better chance of retaining our Blue Square Premier status.”

The Hatters hope to have appointed a replacement by Saturday, when they entertain promotion-chasers Newport County at Edgeley Park.