CHERRIES last night parted company with Jimmy Quinn - just 121 days after he took over as manager.

Quinn’s turbulent four-month reign was brought to an end following a meeting with the club’s owners at the Royal Bath Hotel on New Year's Eve.

The 49-year-old Ulsterman had refused to quit after calls for his head had intensified following Cherries’ calamitous defeat to relegation rivals Barnet on Sunday.

But with the club’s Football League status under threat and the team on a downward spiral, the Cherries board acted swiftly to relieve Quinn of his services.

Quinn, who succeeded Kevin Bond at the start of September, took charge of just 24 league and cup matches, with Cherries winning five and drawing seven of their 19 league games.

Eddie Howe, who worked under Quinn’s predecessor Bond, will take charge of team affairs for Cherries’ trip to Darlington on Saturday. He is expected to be assisted by the club’s head of youth Joe Roach.

Meanwhile, decisions have yet to be made on the futures of assistant boss Jason Tindall and director of football operations Ted Sutton.

A club statement, issued last night, confirmed Quinn’s departure. It read: “AFC Bournemouth have today parted company with manager Jimmy Quinn. The move follows a board meeting held this evening with the new AFC Bournemouth board.

“The club would like to take this opportunity to thank Jimmy for his efforts over the past four months and wishes him every success in the future.

“Eddie Howe will become the caretaker manager with immediate effect and will take charge of the team for their League Two clash with Darlington on Saturday.

“The club are holding a press conference at Dean Court on Friday morning at 10.30 where the new board will update the local media on the current situation at the club.”

Quinn’s was the shortest managerial reign at Dean Court – by some considerable margin – since Cherries joined the Football League in 1923.

He presided over Cherries’ disastrous FA Cup exit at the hands of non-league minnows Blyth Spartans earlier this month, which cost the club around £250,000 in lost revenue.