Gareth Ainsworth will miss out on a return to Preston North End in December after being sacked by Queens Park Rangers.
PNE have been in disappointing form of late but Ryan Lowe doesn’t appear to be in any immediate danger of losing his job.
The same can’t be said of Gareth Ainsworth, who has been under mounting pressure at QPR for weeks now.
Ainsworth landed the QPR job in February, replacing Neil Critchley in the Loftus Road dugout.
A former QPR favourite as a player, Ainsworth had excelled as Wycombe Wanderers boss.
Ex-PNE favourite Gareth Ainsworth sacked after months of pressure
Ainsworth desperately struggled after his arrival at QPR, winning just three of his first 13 games as the R’s limped to Championship survival.
Ainsworth needed a strong start to this season with QPR heading into the campaign as one of the favourites for relegation.
That hasn’t happened though with Ainsworth winning just two of 14 to start this season, losing six in a row.
QPR have now decided to pull the trigger, sacking Ainsworth after just eight months in the job.
It’s easy to forget that Ainsworth was actually touted as a potential replacement for Frankie McAvoy at PNE back in 2021.
PNE went with Lowe back then and will probably feel that the right decision was made.
This means that Ainsworth will miss out on a return to PNE in December, with PNE hosting QPR live on Sky Sports on December 1st.
Ainsworth was a cult hero as a player, enjoying three spells at the club whilst becoming a fan favourite.
PNE fans would have welcomed Ainsworth back to Deepdale for this clash but QPR will have a new manager.
The R’s have now appointed Spanish boss Marti Cifuentes to replace Ainsworth, quickly pouncing to snatch the Hammarby boss.
That presents a very different challenge for PNE when QPR come to town, with Lowe and co no doubt doing their research on Cifuentes.