Lincoln United announced on Tuesday night that manager Scott Hellewell and his assistant Paul Grimes had both been sacked – but was it the right decision?
At the very least, the timing seems very odd with the side having just gone three games unbeaten and currently sat 15th in the Northern Premier League East Division table.
That run started with a victory over Consett AFC, before United then went on to find a 2-2 draw away to Newton Aycliffe before returning to the Sun-Hat Villa’s and Resorts stadium last weekend to beat recently relegated Blyth Spartans 1-0.
When those results followed a six-game winless run for the Whites the decision to dismiss Hellewell and Grimes certainly caught people off guard- but why do it now?
A statement released by the club said: “Following a monthly meeting of the Board of Directors, the Club can announce that Scott Hellewell and Paul Grimes have been relieved of their duties.”
The wording of that statement almost suggested a feeling of now or never from the within the boardroom following a winless October.
Almost as if they couldn’t wait until the next meeting and the decision couldn’t be made in between meetings.
Nobody outside of the board room will know if or why the decision was rushed but for a newly promoted side that are unbeaten in three, to sack a manager now is very strange timing.
The decision will have been controversial three weeks ago but perhaps slightly more understandable when the side were winless in six attempts.
However, after winning the double last season and the side currently sat outside of the relegation zone, had Hellewell earnt himself at least a bit more trust.
All five of the side’s victories this season have come at home and with the side picking up a further four points away from home nothing seemed out of the ordinary for a newly promoted side.
From the outside looking in, there was no sense of panic anywhere at the club but clearly expectations in the boardroom are different to what fans expected this season.
The side welcome current 20th placed side Ashington AFC to Ashby Avenue this weekend and with the side having lost just once against sides below them things were certainly looking up for Hellewell’s side.
A win this weekend could propel them as high as 12th place and given the sides home record you’ve got to question whether Hellewell and Grimes deserved the chance to do the job themselves.
Only time will tell whether the board have got this one right and we’ll never know if Hellewell had the ability to keep the side at step four, but nobody can doubt that the timing has raised questions.