Portsmouth's key promotion rivals Sunderland axe manager after five-game winless streak

The ex-Bradford and Bolton manager departs Wearside after just 13 months in charge.

Parkinson took over the Black Cats reins from Jack Ross in October 2019. The Scot had been in charge at the Stadium of Light for just more than a year following back-to-back relegations from the Premier League.

Parkinson’s chief target was to guide Sunderland back to the Championship following a miserable period in their history.

But after the 2019-20 season was curtailed amid the Covid-19 outbreak – and decided via a points-per-game formula – the Black Cats finished eighth in League One.

And Sunderland’s start this season was clearly below owner Stewart Donald’s expectations. They sit eighth in the table on 23 points - although they're just two points outside the play-offs with a game in hand.

However, after drawing 1-1 with Fleetwood on Friday night, the Stadium of Light hierarchy have opted to axe Parkinson.

Parkinson becomes the latest League One manager to lose his job in recent weeks.

Ben Garner departed Bristol Rovers and was replaced by Paul Tisdale, while ex-Pompey boss Steve Cotterill took over the Shrewsbury helm from Sam Ricketts earlier this week.