Former Bantams boss Peter Taylor has been placed in charge of first-team affairs at Gillingham while the club looks for a new manager following the departure of Ady Pennock.

Pennock parted company with the League One side today, leaving them third from bottom in the table after nine matches, having lost five of their games so far and won just one.

Gills chairman Paul Scally has confirmed that director of football Taylor will oversee matters for the "next few games" alongside coaches Steve Lovell and Mark Patterson. Glen Johnson will keep his job as goalkeeper coach.

Gillingham are at home to Scunthorpe tomorrow night and travel to Blackburn on Saturday.

"Following Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Rochdale I spoke to both Ady Pennock and Jamie Day on Monday morning and, after some frank discussion, it was mutually agreed to terminate their contracts with immediate effect," said Scally in a statement on the club 's official website.

"I would like to thank them both for their tremendous hard work and I'm extremely disappointed that their hard work didn't result in a more positive outcome. Ady, without doubt, deserved his chance to run the team and I'm just sorry it didn't work out for him.

"As is always in these cases the search will now begin for a new manager.

"In the interim director of football Peter Taylor will oversee the coaching and the running of the next few games alongside Steve Lovell, Mark Patterson and goalkeeping coach Glen Johnson."