DORCHESTER Town have "relieved" manager Steve Thompson of his duties at the Clayson Stadium.

Thompson, 56, took charge of the Magpies in September 2017 and claimed a 1-0 victory at Dunstable in his first game, keeping the club in the formerly-named Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division.

But an alarming dip in form this season, culminating in a slip into the relegation zone after Saturday's 0-0 draw with Gosport, forced the Magpies' board to take decisive action.

In a statement, the board explained a new manager "with fresh ideas" was necessary to keep the club in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier South.

It read: "The board of directors of Dorchester Town FC have today relieved Steve Thompson of his duties as team manager.

"With 10 league matches to go to the end of the season, and having dropped into the relegation zone on Saturday, the board felt that a new manager, with fresh ideas, was necessary in order to gain the points needed to retain the club's place in Southern Premier South.

"The club is grateful to Steve for the contribution he has made to the club over the last 18 months and wish him well for the future.

"The board expects to appoint a new manager before the weekend's match at Farnborough."

Thompson has overseen a poor run of results this season, particularly at home where the Magpies have won just three times in league trim, scoring a paltry 16 goals in 17 matches in front of their own spectators.

Dorchester have struggled for goals of late, netting just twice in eight games despite possessing 16-goal striker Ben Seymour.

Their indifferent league form was at odds with sparkling cup form as Thompson lead Dorchester to the FA Trophy second round, beating National League South sides Hungerford and Eastbourne 1-0 and 4-0 respectively before bowing out in battling fashion to National League side Barnet 2-1 away.

Echosport understands that assistant manager Trevor Senior will take training tonight.