Featherstone Rovers have confirmed the departure of their head coach Jon Sharp with immediate effect.
The 50-year-old was informed that his contract would not be renewed at the end of the month and he has now left immediately ahead of their upcoming Qualifiers campaign.
Featherstone will confirm the appointment of their new head coach in the next 24 hours.
Chairman Mark Campbell said: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank Jon for his efforts over the past couple of years.
“A decision to bring in a new head coach for 2018 has been taken and we feel leaving Jon in charge for the Qualifiers, only for him to depart in October, would make little sense.
“He leaves with our best wishes and we now looking forward to seeing how our Super 8s campaign unfolds.
“We are aiming high and expect to leave a mark this time around.”
Sharp added: “It is with pride I look back at the successes we achieved, with highlights being the 2015 Championship Shield win over London and us becoming the first part-time team to achieve back-to-back top-four finishes – and a Challenge Cup quarter-final game.
“I want to thank the fans who have been amazing. To my staff, I thank them for their support and loyalty and to the players, who have been a pleasure to coach and a joy to work with.”
Sharp, the head coach of Huddersfield Giants between 2005 and 2008, was appointed as the Rovers coach in July 2015 following the departure of Andy Hay.
Rovers failed to make the Qualifiers, however, under Sharp they won the Championship Shield with victory over London Broncos in the final.
IBut in his first full season in charge Sharp guided Fev to the Qualifiers for the first time, although they failed to win a game after the league split.
With a bigger budget after last year’s top four finish, Sharp has delivered further success, with the club already in the Qualifiers while they also progressed to the quarter-final stage of the Challenge Cup.
His final game in charge saw the Rovers go down 28-8 to Halifax at The LD Nutrition Stadium, a result that leaves them needing a victory in Toulouse on Saturday to confirm a third-place finish.