Dean Shanks admits he's devastated by Gala Fairydean Rovers' decision to sack him.

The 33-year-old had guided the Netherdale club to an eighth place finish in the Lowland League as well as the third-round of the Scottish Cup.

And he, along with his management team, were in the process of strengthening the squad ahead of next season's campaign with several signings in the pipeline.

Shanks received the call from chairman Ryan Cass on Wednesday morning.

Dean said: "I am absolutely shocked by what's happened.

"We were building something good at Gala and we firmly believed we would have a team challenging for trophies next season.

"This has come out of the blue and left me and my coaching team devastated.

"There are a lot of good people involved at Gala and I'd like to thank them for all of their support last season. The players have also been fantastic.

"A new chairman has come in and wants to do things differently, so I have to accept that and move on.

"I would like to think that we've left a good platform for whoever takes over from us."

It is understood that Gala will announce their new manager before the end of the week.

An official statement from the Fairydean Rovers was issued to the Border Telegraph last night.

It reads: "The club would like to thank Dean and his management team for all their hard work over the course of last season and wish them all the very best for the future.

"Under Dean's management Gala Fairydean Rovers finished a respectable eighth position in the highly-competitive Lowland League and were extremely unfortunate to depart from the Scottish Cup at the third round stage.

"But in order to compete at the highest level a difficult decision has been made to opt for a change of direction for season 2019-20.

"The club hope to be in a position to announce a new manager as soon as possible."