Former Hearts captain Steven Pressley sacked by Carlisle United

Steven Pressley was manager of Carlisle for ten months. Pic: Getty

Carlisle have sacked manager Steven Pressley.

The Blues announced on Wednesday morning that they had dismissed the former Hearts captain after ten months in charge.

The decision came after a 3-1 defeat at Morecambe which saw Carlisle go out of the Leasing.com Trophy.

The club's hierarchy said they had not seen enough progress under Pressley and needed to make the change.

In a statement, chairman Andrew Jenkins said: "Steven has given his all and has worked tirelessly since the day he joined us. We understand the challenges and have supported him throughout, but we haven't seen the evidence of progress we expected or needed to see.

"This is not something we can allow to continue, so sadly it is time to change, move on and look forward.

"I want to say a personal thank you to Steven, he has been a pleasure to work with and this has not been an easy decision for us to make. He leaves with our very best wishes."

Carlisle added that Pressley's backroom staff, including assistant Gavin Skelton and coaches Nathan Rooney, Craig Wight and Dave Waldie, remain in charge "in the short-term".

Pressley was appointed as John Sheridan's successor in January and he leaves Carlisle 19th in Sky Bet League Two.