Portsmouth sack Kenny Jackett days after Sunderland defeat following Wembley shock

The former Wolves and Swansea boss has come under intense pressure of late after a dismal run of form, with the 2-0 defeat to the Black Cats in midweek piling further scrutiny onto Jackett.

And after Pompey lost the 2020 Papa John’s Trophy final on penalties to League Two side Salford City on Saturday afternoon, the club have decided to part company with the experienced manager.

In a statement, chief executive Mark Catlin said: “Portsmouth Football Club would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Kenny for the work he has done during his near four-year spell at the club and we all wish him well for the future.

“It has been an emotional past few weeks for everyone associated with Pompey and we now begin the process – which will be as short as possible – of appointing someone who we believe can give us the best chance of finishing inside the top six. These talks begin today.”

Pompey have won just one of their last eight games in all competitions, and dropped out of the top six on Saturday due to results elsewhere.

They were outplayed for large spells by the fourth tier Ammies at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, with fans calling for a change after the game.

And the Fratton Park board have now acted – and will look too appoint a new manager to kick-start a push for promotion.