Sheffield Wednesday's Championship rivals fire boss after Owls defeat

Anthony Musaba's last gasp goal for the Owls secured a 1-0 win on Saturday afternoon that took Wednesday off the bottom of the Championship table, but it also meant four straight defeats for the Potters - something that seemingly couldn't be overlooked by the decision-makers in Stoke.

Speaking to the club's official website their chairman, John Coates, said, “Alex is a man of absolute integrity who has given his all for Stoke City, and we would like to thank him for his hard work during his time with the Club.

“We are grateful for the building blocks he has helped put in place in bringing together a group of players in whom we have a huge amount of faith regarding their ability to turn things around this season, and who can help us achieve longer-term success.

“However, with the way the results have been so far, we have made the difficult decision to seek a new direction for the team at this time... Nothing matters to me more than the success of our club and we are now working towards the appointment of Alex’s successor.”

It was also confirmed that Paul Gallagher has been installed as caretaker manager ahead of their game against Swansea City, and will be assisted by Alex Morris, Ryan Shawcross and Jonathan Gould.