Foul-mouthed rant at journalist led to Jolley's downfall ahead of Cobblers game

Jolley, who had been in charge for 18 months, departed after the club's directors were presented with audio from a row with BBC Radio Humberside in the wake of Grimsby's 4-0 defeat by Leyton Orient last month.

The Mariners, 18th in Sky Bet League Two, have also been in poor form on the pitch and are currently seven games without a win. They visit Newport County in an FA Cup replay on Wednesday before heading to the PTS this weekend.

Fenty described himself as 'shocked and stunned' by the language Jolley used when he swore 58 times in four minutes during the row with a BBC journalist.

"We're really disappointed with the whole affair, Michael knows that," Fenty told the club website this week.

"Michael came to me on Wednesday and his view was that he knew where this was going, and he sought an opportunity for a compromise arrangement, which resulted in leaving on mutual grounds and gave him some certainty of receipt in terms of parting company.

"Clearly he wasn't sacked. On a personal level, I'm concerned and disappointed there was mention to the budget and a suggestion goading the press to say they should have said something about the budget in the past. I find that a strange comment.

"However in the light of things, when things aren't going well on the field, it is a pressure cooker and we do tend to give allowance for some of these things that erupt over. But on the scale of eruption, it's clear that the club had to go through a disciplinary process.

"I'm not suggesting for a minute that it would have concluded in gross misconduct and therefore dismissal, there can be a whole range of outcomes to that, but Michael assumed it could only go in one direction and sought mutual settlement, which we arrived at."

Anthony Limbrick, who was assistant boss under Jolley, has been named interim manager and looks set to take charge of Saturday's League Two clash.