Scunthorpe United have announced that Neil Cox has left the club following their tough start to the season.

A 2-1 defeat to Colchester over the weekend means the Iron remain bottom of League Two, with the team having won just two of their opening 15 fixtures in the fourth tier.

Therefore, the pressure was building on Cox and the club confirmed this morning that they had taken the decision to part company with the 50-year-old and his assistant manager Mark Lillis.

Cox, who came through the ranks as a player for Scunthorpe before leaving for Aston Villa, returned as manager in August 2020 but he hasn't been able to get the results that he wanted with his boyhood club.

The team ended up finishing just one place and three points above the relegation zone last season and those struggles have continued in the current campaign.

It has been revealed that coach Tony McMahon and goalkeeping coach Paul Musselwhite will take charge on a temporary basis as the club search for Cox's successor, with the dup expected to lead the side for the FA Cup clash against Doncaster Rovers this weekend.

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The verdict

Firstly, you have to have sympathy for Cox because this is a club that means a lot to him and he would've been desperate to succeed.

However, things haven't worked out and all managers are judged on results and nobody can argue that things haven't been good enough, with another relegation battle on the cards this season.

In fairness, it should be pointed out that there are other issues at Scunthorpe, including with recruitment, so a new boss could face similar problems to Cox.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.