A FRUSTRATED Gareth Cox admits it was a ‘kick in the teeth’ to be sacked as Bracknell Bees head coach just a month after his offer of resignation was turned down.

The former Hornets coach saw his contract terminated on Monday, just 24 hours after Bees’ biggest win of the campaign against high-flying Manchester Phoenix.

He has been replaced by Lukas Smital, who is in his sixth season as a Bees player, while Mitch Stead will be the new bench coach.

The timing of the change comes as a surprise given Cox offered his resignation during a turbulent start to the season.

However, he was persuaded to remain with the club, only to now be sacked ‘completely out of the blue’.

“I have been around Bracknell for a long time, I love the ice hockey here, and to get it pulled out from my under my feet several weeks after I offered my resignation and they turned it down was a kick in the teeth,” he told the News.

“There were no reasons given for the decision. Sometimes perhaps you expect it but we went through everything that we did and were all told that it would be alright, and this is how it will be for the rest of the season.

“It’s very frustrating, especially considering the amount of effort and time that myself and others have put in.” That time and effort looked to be paying dividends as Bees had taken 11 points from the previous 16 on offer.

Their recent performances have been a far cry from the disappointing showings in early November when they were beaten 7-0 and 6-0 on the same weekend.

And Cox added: “It’s very strange timing. We were doing fantastically well, out of the last 16 points we took 11, but they didn’t accept my resignation when we were nearly bottom and now they sack me now.

“They don’t have to justify it to me, they are the owners and they can do what they want, but the way people have been treated this season is probably not the way it would have been done before.” Along with Cox, his close friend and Bees general manager Stuart Robinson has also left the club.

Bees owners Precision Sports Marketing released a statement on Wednesday confirming the decision was a cost-cutting measure.

“I stated previously that if tough decisions needed to be made, then we would make them,” said chairman Andrew Cross.

“We started the season with a 33% increase in playing budget supported from an increase in ticket sales and sponsorship. With the latter not hitting forecasts, we had to consider areas where costs could be saved.

“Gareth and Stuart did little wrong and recent on-ice results had proved what a valuable contribution they made. We simply cannot afford to have non-playing staff on the payroll.”