Stoke sacked Mark Hughes in the aftermath of the Premier League strugglers being knocked out of the FA Cup by Coventry City of League Two. A 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Jordan Willis and Jack Grimmer was the shock of the third round, and Hughes, in his 200th game in charge, was dismissed three hours after the third-round tie.
Humiliating defeat left Hughes in a desperate situation, with Stoke also in the Premier League relegation zone, and the club decided time was up for the Welshman. Shortly after 8pm, Stoke said Hughes’ contract had been “terminated with immediate effect”.
A a statement on Stoke’s official Twitter feed added: “We would like to thank Mark for all he has achieved for the club over the last four and a half years, notably in guiding us to three successive ninth places finishes in the Premier League, and we wish him every success for the future. The club will look to appoint a new manager as soon as possible and will be making no further comment at this time.”
Hughes was appointed at Stoke on 30 May 2013, taking over from Tony Pulis. He leaves the club 16th in the Premier League standings and with one win in their past eight games. It is the first time Stoke have been knocked out, as a top-flight side, by a team from the fourth tier or below since they lost to Bradford Park Avenue in 1938. Their next league match is against Manchester United at home a week on Monday.
