Bury Football Club have sacked manager Kevin Blackwell.

The club announced the termination of his contract with immediate effect this morning.

Blackwell had been under pressure following a run of seven matches without a win, culminating in a 2-0 defeat at home to Morecambe on Saturday that saw the Shakers fall to a point and two places above the Football League trapdoor.

The former Leeds and Sheffield United manager took over from caretaker boss Peter Shirtliff on September 26, 2012 - nine games into last season's ill-fated League One campaign.

Bury were relegated, finishing third from bottom with 41 points, with Blackwell guiding them to just 11 wins, 12 draws and 20 defeats in league and cup in his first season in charge. 

He was expected to step down at the end of the campaign, but new chairman Stewart Day threw his backing behind the 54-year-old coach after rescuing the club from a winding up order in May.

After bringing in 26 new players over the summer and letting all but one of the players from last season go, Blackwell had appealed for patience from fans as the new-look squad struggled to gel.

But, after a decent start, the wins dried up, with a 4-1 triumph at home to Cheltenham Town on August 31 the last time Blackwell's Bury tasted victory.

He ended his rocky 12-month reign at Gigg Lane with a sorry overall record of 28 defeats in 57 league and cup matches - a losing ratio of just under 50 per cent.

Of the remaining 29 matches, Bury won 14 and drew 15 under Blackwell's leadership.

Ronnie Jepson has been appointed as Bury's caretaker manager.