Not time to lose - Mark Catlin confirms search for new Portsmouth manager starts now after Kenny Jackett leaves Fratton Park

The club chief executive also said the process to name their new manager ‘will be as short as possible’ as the Blues look to get the right man in to deliver a top-six finish this season.

Pompey announced Jackett’s departure this morning – less than 24 hours after Saturday’s Papa John’s Trophy defeat at the hands of League Two Salford.

The Blues lost the Wembley game 4-2 on penalties, after the match finished goalless following normal and extra-time.

The loss was another telling blot on the Pompey manager’s notebook, with the Fratton Park side suffering a fourth successive defeat in all competitions.

Three of those defeats, though, have come in the league – the most recent coming against promotion rivals Sunderland on Tuesday night – leaving the Blues seventh in the League One table.

At Christmas, they topped the division following a 2-0 win at Hull.

Finishing in the play-offs was the minimal requirement this season – and with Pompey currently outside the top six, the decision has been made to change manager in a bid to ensure a play-off position at the end of the campaign.

It’s not sure exactly how the final decision was made.

It’s also not clear at this moment whether the Blues will look to appoint a caretaker boss with the remit to get the job done or bring someone in on a permanent basis.

Nevertheless, Catlin has confirmed that the search for Jackett’s replacement starts right now, with time running out to save the Blues’ season.

Speaking in the club statement to announced the manager’s departure, Catlin said: ‘Portsmouth Football Club would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Kenny for the work he has done during his near four-year spell at the club and we all wish him well for the future.‘It has been an emotional past few weeks for everyone associated with Pompey and we now begin the process – which will be as short as possible – of appointing someone who we believe can give us the best chance of finishing inside the top six. These talks begin today.’