A 4-0 home defeat against Bedlington Terriers on Saturday proved to be Harper and Durrant’s final game in charge as they decided to bring an end to their 10-month reign.

The duo have undertaken a mass overhaul of the Citizens squad throughout their time in charge but they have been unable to produce any upturn in fortunes at the club.

City ended last season bottom of the Second Division and were only saved from relegation into the Wearside League by the FA’s restructure of the non-League Pyramid.

The new season has failed to produce any improvement in their fortunes and the Citizens are currently bottom of the table after losing eight of their opening nine games of the season.

Durham will now search for a new manager and anyone interested should contact the club via email dcafc@sky.com with CV.

Chairman Gary Hutchinson said former chairman and owner Olivier Bernard (pictured), the ex-Newcastle United star, will be taking charge of Tuesday night`s game.