DARREN Patterson was dismissed last night as Oxford United's manager.

Chairman Kelvin Thomas took the decision following the club's costly exit from the FA Cup at Torquay on Saturday.

Director and former boss Jim Smith has been placed in caretaker charge on a temporary basis, with Mickey Lewis assisting, while they invite applications for the job.

Patterson paid the price for a series of dismal away results this season, and the team's sorry league position.

Expected to be among the promotion challengers, they are 16th in the Blue Square Premier, four places below where they were when he took over from Smith 13 months ago.

Ironically, Oxford United's home form at the moment is the best since they moved to the Kassam Stadium in 2001, but many away results have been embarrassing – in particular, losing 2-1 at Lewes, 2-0 at Grays and 5-2 at Histon.

The former Northern Ireland international defender was a player at Oxford, and then became youth-team coach.

He had a brief spell as manager before he was appointed on a full time basis, as Smith's successor.

But his record in charge stands at 59 games, 24 wins, 11 draws and 24 losses which, considering it's the Conference, is mediocre.

Management be-gan for Patterson in the FA Cup just over a year ago, with a home tie against Northwich Victoria in his first match, so there was a certain irony that it should end in the same competition at the weekend when the U's lost 2-0 and missed out on a lucrative passage into the third round.

Although there was no shame in the result at Torquay, there was in the manner of United's defeat as they slumped again in depressing fashion, giving a tepid second-half performance after failing to score when they had dominated the first.

That has happened countless times away from home this season and Patterson said it was like "Groundhog Day" because he has kept saying the same things to his players, and they have continually failed to deliver.

Thomas probably realised then that Patterson had gone as far as he could with the players he has at his disposal, and if any money is to be handed out to bring new players in, that should go to someone else at the helm.

Thomas said in a statement on the club's website last night: "Darren is a very honest, hard-working manager who has given everything he had to the role.

“However, we feel a change of manager and a change of direction is needed at this time.

"We thank Darren for his efforts and wish him well for the future."

Patterson will be leaving the club with immediate effect.

Smith and Lewis will take training today and be in charge for the game at Mansfield on Thursday.

A full application and interview process will be conducted to find a permanent manager.