ROY O’Brien has paid for Dorchester Town’s derby day disaster with his job.

The Magpies’ boss was relieved of his duties within 24 hours of the 3-0 defeat to arch rivals Weymouth, to be replaced by Ashley Vickers in a caretaker role.

Chairman Shaun Hearn confirmed the decision had been taken yesterday morning and informed O’Brien shortly after.

Hearn said: “The board feel that we’ve tried to give Roy the tools to work with and I don’t think he can get any more out of those players judging by Saturday’s performance, so we knew it was time for a change.

“We’ve gone out of both cup competitions with a whimper and it’s not acceptable. We will be looking to bring someone in who can get the best out of the players.”

Jake Reid, Josh Llewellyn and Simon Radcliffe condemned Dorchester to defeat at the Wessex Stadium on Saturday, and the manner of the defeat persuaded Hearn and his board to take action.

“Nobody can take anything away from Weymouth,” said Hearn. “There was only one team that wanted to win the football match on Saturday and what the manager has done at Wey-mouth has proven what it is all about because they were the same players that were getting beaten every week.”

Hearn will now be hoping that Vickers can have the same impact that Ian Hutchinson has had at the Terras and unite Dorchester in a bid to guide them away from the drop zone.

“Ashley Vickers has been around the block and knows what is required in this division and higher, so it’s an opportunity,” said Hearn. “At this present time it is his team and we just have to move on.

“We are at the stage of the season where our destiny is in our own hands – we need to concentrate on moving up the league.

“It’s a fantastic football club and I’m sure there will be a lot of interest and we’ll do our best to make sure we will pick the right person for the job.”

Centre-half Vickers, who was O’Brien’s assistant, added: “Roy wanted so desperately to do so well for Dorchester Town, for the board and the supporters, and it wasn’t through want of trying that it didn’t work out. I’ve never seen anyone so gutted than him, after the game on Saturday.

“It’s a crying shame because Roy had some first rate ideas, he’s a good man throughout.

“The lads held him in the highest regard and it just wasn’t to be.

“All the players need to look at themselves and realise that they let him down.”

Former chairman Eddie Mitchell axed O’Brien as a Magpies’ player in late January as part of a cost-cutting measure, only for the Irishman to rejoin a week later.

He was offered the role of player-manager on March 6 and took charge of his first game a day later, a 2-0 defeat at home to Bishop’s Stortford that left the Magpies hovering four points above the Blue Square South drop zone.

He maintained that gap through to the end of the season – with two wins, three draws and six defeats – but failed to build on that in 2009/2010.

Five wins, three draws and 10 defeats from 18 league matches means the Magpies lie just three points above the relegation zone, but the manner of their FA Cup and FA Trophy exits to Gloucester City and Weymouth proved to be particular low points before his sacking yesterday.

O’Brien was unavailable for comment.