Southend United have parted company with Kevin Maher two days after he guided the club to Isuzu FA Trophy glory at Wembley, ending a spell in charge that began in 2021. Maher’s departure also brings an immediate end to the tenures of assistants Darren Currie and Mark Bentley at Roots Hall.

The timing is stark. On Sunday, Southend beat Wealdstone 4-2 on penalties to lift the trophy, their first domestic cup triumph, after finishing sixth in the National League and later losing the play-off eliminator at Scunthorpe United. A club statement said the board had decided it was the right moment to start the next chapter in Southend United’s journey and that a comprehensive search for a new head coach was already under way.

Southend also underlined how central Maher and his staff had been since the COSU takeover, saying they helped stabilise the football club after a period that included unpaid wages and transfer embargoes under the previous ownership. The club said they delivered back-to-back top seven finishes and took Southend to Wembley on two occasions, with Sunday’s win coming after the latest trip to the national stadium.

Oliver Gage was appointed director of football in April, giving the club a new layer of leadership before this latest change. That move now sits alongside the shake-up in the dugout, with Southend turning from the manager who had overseen their recovery to the next stage of the rebuild.

There is a clear tension in the decision. Maher leaves days after a cup win that the club itself described as a landmark, and after a season in which Southend again finished inside the top seven, yet the board has chosen to reset now rather than wait for the year left on his contract to run down. The club said Maher was involved in more games as both a player and head coach than anyone in its 120-year history and that he departs with his status as a club legend firmly cemented.

Southend thanked Maher, Currie and Bentley for their commitment to the club and the wider community. For a manager who helped steady the team through turbulence and then brought silverware back to Wembley, the exit closes one chapter as quickly as the club says it is opening another.