Former Wolves & Liverpool man sacked after five months and swiftly replaced by two-time play-off winner

Swindon Town have sacked former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool player Mark Kennedy as their first team head coach after five months and replaced him with ex-Leicester City boss Ian Holloway.

Kennedy was sacked after two defeats in a row against Doncaster Rovers and Salford City - as things stand, the Robins are 22nd in the League Two table, just three points above the drop zone. Currently, they have won just two of their 13 league games thus far.

Swindon wasted little time in appointing Kennedy’s successor as they identified former Blackpool and Crystal Palace manager Holloway as their first choice and have now given him the job. Holloway - who won the Championship play-off final with Blackpool and Crystal Palace - will not be in charge for Swindon’s game at the weekend against Gillingham but he will be in attendance, as the fixture will be presided over by members of the Robins’ backroom staff.

Holloway is highly regarded by one of Swindon’s fiercest rivals, Bristol Rovers. Not only did the 61 year old progress through the Gas’ youth academy as a youngster, he also had two spells as a player with the club and also managed them from 1996 to 2001.

During his time at Wolves, Kennedy made 167 league appearances for the club between the years of 2001 and 2006, scoring a total of 12 goals along the way. Outside of this, he also played for teams such as Millwall, Manchester City and Liverpool - on the international stage, he won 34 caps for the Republic of Ireland.

As a manager, prior to taking on the Swindon job earlier in the year, Kennedy had managed both Macclesfield Town and Lincoln City, to varying degrees of success. Following Kennedy’s sacking, a statement on Swindon’s official club website reads: “Swindon Town Football Club have parted company with head coach Mark Kennedy.

“Marcus Bignot, Steve Mildenhall and Gavin Gunning will continue in their current positions, with all three first-team coaches in place to oversee this weekend's game against Gillingham. Everyone at Swindon Town Football Club would like to express their appreciation to Mark for his commitment and hard work during his time with the Club and wish him all the best in the future.”

On his appointment, Holloway said: “I'm delighted to be back working in football after a period out of the game as I wanted to get back into it if the right opportunity arose which, with this opportunity, I feel is the perfect fit for me.

“Conversations happened very quickly and both sides were very keen to get the deal done and of course, I was delighted to engage with a club like Swindon Town, a club of whom I know a lot about due to my location and knowledge of the local area.

“I want to be able to bring everyone together to deliver success and positivity on and off the pitch and I'm delighted to be at The Nigel Eady County Ground tomorrow to meet you all for the first time as Swindon Town Manager and I look forward to a successful time working together.”