BEACONSFIELD Sycob have parted company with their director of football Colin Barnes following his four-year reign in charge of the first team.

Barnes was relieved of his duties by the board of directors on Monday following the Rams' surprise exit from the FA Cup on Saturday at the hands of Welwyn Garden City.

Beaconsfield, who lost that game 3-2, have also made a poor start to their new season in the Southern League Division One West with just two points and no wins from six games.

Sycob's former first team manager Simon Delahunty has been appointed caretaker boss to steady the ship while the club look to advertise the post.

A club spokesman said: "Colin has been a very good servant to the club and, by his own admission, has achieved a lot in a relatively short space of time.

"He was a pivotal part in the formation of the Beaconsfield PASE scheme three years ago and has seen rise to a number of players from the youth.

"Regrettably though, things have become a little stale and it was generally felt that the club needed a new direction in order to take it to the next level."

Barnes, who is also head of youth at Wycombe Wanderers, helped the club to double winning success in 2004 claiming the Minerva Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division (MSSMPD) championship and the Berks & Bucks Senior Trophy for the very first time.

He joined the club from close neighbours Burnham shortly after Beaconsfield United and Slough Youth Centre Old Boys merged in 1994.

He initially oversaw the running of the youth, before taking charge of Sycob's reserve team in the late 1990s working under the jurisdiction of Delahunty, who departed the club in the 2001/2 season.

Delahunty, who won the MSSMPD title with Sycob in 2001 before taking Flackwell Heath to brink of the first round proper of the FA Cup last season, will work closely with Rams' head coach Peter Scott to improve morale and to bring about a fresher outlook to Holloways Park.

Sycob's cup exit at the weekend follows a disappointing start to the new campaign which has seen them take a point each at home from league rivals Marlow and Bedworth United.