St Albans City have sacked manager David Howell this evening despite sitting just one place and point off the Southern Premier play-off spots.

The Saints lost their chairman Ian Ridley last week after he decided he could not accept the board's decision to raise ticket prices by 20 per cent.

And the turmoil at Clarence Park took a turn for the worse tonight after the owners ended Howell's 18-month spell in charge.

A statement on the club's website read: "Due to the recent poor run of results the board feels it has no option but to look to a new direction.

"The board will meet to discuss its options but is committed to retaining and developing an attractive and successful playing squad."

The Saints have struggled for form in the last month but it was thought that Howell would get more time to try and guide the club towards their target of promotion.

Former Harrow Borough manager Howell tweeted: "A face to face discussion & a thank you for the hard work trying to rebuild the club's reputation in non league football would have been nice."

For the latest on Howell's departure and all the developments at Clarence Park see this week's St Albans Review.