Brian Cope’s reign as manager of Fenwick Rovers lasted exactly 14 seconds, making it the shortest in English football history.
The 49-year-old was appointed on Saturday morning and sacked before the first whistle had properly stopped echoing. Rovers conceded straight from kick-off, a 40-yard lob that sailed over the stand-in keeper, and the chairman reached for the phone.
Cope, who had yet to sit down in the dugout, said afterwards: “I have no complaints. Well, one. The pie I was promised never arrived.”
Chairman’s statement
Club owner Maureen Dacre said the decision had been “painful but necessary”. She added: “We had a plan for the first 90 minutes. We did not have a plan for the first 14 seconds.”
Cope had taken over from Gary Fell, who left the club on Friday after losing a dressing-room argument about the team bus. Fell has refused to comment, other than to say he “had a feeling this might happen”.
Fans were split. Supporter Jim Hallam, 63, said: “It is hard to blame him for a goal from kick-off. The real issue is, who was in goal? It was the kit man.”
The Rovers matchday programme, printed days earlier, featured a full-page welcome from Cope. Club staff are reported to be working to recall them.
