Stanley owner Andy Holt has shared an update on the decision to part company with John Coleman and Jimmy Bell.

It was confirmed last weekend that the long-serving duo would be departing the club with “immediate effect”.

Holt wrote in an official statement: “Last year the recruitment of players was dreadful. Many performances were very poor, injuries were many. We were relegated from League One.

“During the season, Jimmy often complained too many players were being engaged with not enough quality. It undermined my faith in them.

“At the end of last season, I had a meeting with John to discuss this current season. While I was in that meeting, Jimmy was ringing another director saying, ‘With that team we’re being relegated again’ or words to that effect.

“The board’s position was that they should be terminated. Their performance merited it.

“It was discussed and suggested that they deserved credit for past historic great work at the club, they deserved a last chance.

“We’d review around Christmas 2023 and if we looked safe, we would extend their contracts for another season. The extension would be for one season only but could be repeated indefinitely if we got back to our normal performances.”

Holt also claimed that comments made by Bell during an interview with the local media were “guaranteed to divide our club”.

The Stanley owner insists that the decision to part company with the duo was not a knee-jerk reaction following the 4-0 defeat at Wrexham.

He added: “It was a combination of poor performance and the public disagreements that resulted in the end.

“Their performances led to losses last season of £600,000 followed by this season of £1,000,000. I have a choice - either fund the club or put administrators in.

“I chose to fund the losses because I still believe Accrington deserves and desperately need a great club. But the continued funding of these losses stops at the end of this season.”