Mark Kennedy was dismissed by Lincoln City on Wednesday evening, after 17 months in charge at Sincil Bank.
Mark joined the Imps in May 2022, replacing Michael Appleton. In his time at the club, he has overseen over 70 games and enjoyed a successful 22/23 campaign, finishing 11th in League One, setting the foundations for further success.
The Imps have released an open letter from Mark, which is the first we’ve heard from him since the news broke on Wednesday evening.
Speaking on his time at City, Mark said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Lincoln City and I am extremely proud of the progress we have made during these 17 months.
“We went on a fantastic journey last season to achieve the club’s second highest league finish in 40 years and I believe we have left the team in a better place than when we arrived, and that is something we can all be proud of.
“The squad has a strong foundation to continue to go from strength to strength and I sincerely hope that happens. I would like to thank everyone associated with Lincoln City for giving me this opportunity – Clive Nates, all the staff and players and a massive thank you, of course, to the fans for their amazing support throughout my time here. Your backing has meant everything and we hope that you are happy with our work on behalf of your team.
“I am looking ahead now to my next challenge but I wish everyone at Lincoln all the best for the rest of this season and beyond, and I hope our paths will cross again in the future. Up the Imps!”
Recent weeks saw a record of five losses in seven games, which may have stirred some discontent amongst fans, yet a there may be more than meets the eye with his dismissal, and there will be reasons that we will never truly understand from a fan perspective. I’ve said this a few times now, but I feel it’s important to put on record my personal thanks to Mark for the way he conducted himself throughout his time at the club, alongside his assistant head coach Danny Butterfield.
I wish you all the best in the future, Mark and Danny.