Gregory leaves Crawley

John Gregory is to depart his position as first team manager at Crawley Town, the club have confirmed.

Former Aston Villa boss Gregory took over in December 2013, but was forced to step down a year later to have major heart surgery.

Dean Saunders assumed his role, but could not prevent the club being relegated from League One this season.

“I would just like to take the opportunity to thank everyone at Crawley Town FC for their support over the last 18 months,” Gregory said.

“Unfortunately I did not get the results on the field this season that I managed to get during the second half of 2013-14.

“Dean Saunders inherited the difficult task of trying to rescue our season with 24 games to go in January of this year.

“I would like to thank the board of directors, in particular, for standing by me and supporting me during the very difficult time I endured whilst undergoing open heart surgery.

“It was brilliant to see the stadium full for the last match of the season. I hope that the Crawley Town fans stand by their team and help to bring back the glory days again very soon.”