Cotterill is favourite to take on role with Pirates

FORMER Burton Albion striker Steve Cotterill is the bookmakers’ favourite to become the new Bristol Rovers manager.

Darrell Clarke’s four-and-ahalf-year spell as Pirates boss came to an end yesterday, with his side four points adrift of safety in League One after four successive defeats.

The Memorial Ground club are now looking for a new boss to lead them out of the relegation zone - and Cotterill currently leads the way with the bookies.

He scored 44 goals in 74 appearances for Burton across the 1987-88 and 1988-89 campaigns and was last in management with Birmingham City, who he guided to a 1-0 FA Cup win over Albion in January, only to be sacked in March.

Cotterill is 5/6 with SkyBet to become the next Rovers manager, ahead of former Shrewsbury Town and Ipswich Town boss Paul Hurst, who is 4/1.

Michael Flynn (7/1) is next in the list, with ex-Albion manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink among the current outsiders at 18/1.

Burton travel to take on the Pirates on January 1.

Clarke oversaw back-to-back promotions from the National League to the third tier after their drop out of the EFL at the end of the 2013-14 campaign.

His departure means Brewers boss Nigel Clough is now one of only 14 managers at the 92 Premier League and EFL clubs to have started their current spells in charge before 2016.