Dunfermline have parted company with manager Peter Grant following 156 days in charge.
Saturday’s 4-2 defeat against Arbroath proved to be the final straw for the Pars board, leaving the Fife outfit three points adrift of guaranteed Championship safety.
Furious Dunfermline fans made their feelings known following the fixture, while the team bus required a police escort out of Gayfield due to protestors at the gate.
A Pars statement read: “DAFC can confirm today [Sunday] that it has sadly parted company with Manager, Peter Grant.
“We would like to place on record our thanks to Peter for his efforts, hard work and professionalism during his time at East End Park, and we wish him and his family every success in the future.
“A fresh robust recruitment process to find a replacement for Peter to lead our club forward will start immediately.
“In the meantime, Greg Shields and Steven Whittaker have agreed to lead the team on an interim basis, and they will be supported by Sports Director, Thomas Meggle.”
Grant, 56, leaves the club with Dunfermline the only side in the SPFL yet to register a league win.
He oversaw 12 Championship fixtures.
In total, the former Alloa manager took charge of 17 matches, with his only victories coming in the Premier Sports Cup group phase against Partick Thistle, Dumbarton and Stenhousemuir.
His fleeting tenure sees Grant become the second shortest-serving permanent Dunfermline manager in the club’s history.
Only John Potter had a more brief spell at the helm.
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