Neil Warnock has stepped down as Leeds United manager following the 2-1 defeat by Derby County, the club have confirmed.
The deflated Warnock conceded the club now have no chance of reaching the play-offs this season, and he insisted the time was right for a change at the helm.
Angry chants of "Warnock, time to go" echoed around Elland Road at the final whistle, and the club later issued a statement confirming his departure, with development squad manager Neil Redfearn placed in temporary charge.
The statement read: "The decision has been taken with a view to preparing for the 2013/14 season and Neil Redfearn will be asked to take control of first team coaching until a permanent appointment is made.
"This may well be after the end of the season dependent on the availability of the club's preferred choice to become the next manager.
"A short-list has already been prepared as Neil was always going to leave at the end of the season in the event that we did not get promotion.
"However, with availability of suitable candidates changing all the time then we will adopt a flexible approach, so as to ensure that we make the right appointment.
Chief executive Shaun Harvey said: "We would like to thank Neil for his efforts during his time as our manager and share his disappointment that we could not achieve promotion this season.
"We now need to look to the future and the search for his replacement is underway, for which there is no fixed timescale as securing the services of the right person is the primary objective, so as to give us the best chance of promotion next season.
"We would also like to thank Mick Jones and Ronnie Jepson, who will leave the club with Neil, for all their hard work since coming to the club."
After the defeat to Derby, Warnock said: "We are not going to get into the play-offs now so it is a good time to put somebody else in charge until the end of the season.
"I don't think they should rush into a permanent appointment because there are no outstanding candidates at the moment, but there will be in the summer.
"I have been a manager for 33 years and this last 12 months have been the hardest. I have given it my best shot but being honest we haven't been good enough in the final third of the pitch.
"It would appease the fans if I go now and I will recommend putting Neil Redfearn and Gwyn Williams (technical director) in temporary charge until the end of the season.
"If the owners asked me to stay on for the remaining games I would but I don't think it will come to that and it wouldn't appease the fans."
Jeff Goulding came off the bench to grab an 87th-minute winner, in a thrilling game at the EBB stadium, after the Shots threw away a two-goal lead.
Paul McCallum gave Aldershot a controversial lead when the linesman confirmed he had bundled Craig Reid's cross over the line despite Damien Batt's attempted clearance.
Reid doubled the lead from the spot but Scott Davis and Jon-Paul Pittman drew Oxford level either side of Michael Raynes' red card. But the Shots hit back through Goulding.
"I think it's difficult for the linesman to see, unless she is unbelievably sure, which she said she was," the Oxford boss said.
"I'm a bit perplexed how she can be so clear and sure on the decision. We lost Micheal Raynes but all we've done is given them an opportunity to win the game with the free-kick.
"It's knocked the stuffing out of everyone. The decisions that the players were making absolutely killed us and put us on the back foot.
"We aren't in the position we want to be and I understand that. We aren't fighting for our lives though, we've got four games to go and people need to assess at the end of those games.
"I know there are murmurs and rumblings but I'm not walking away from anything."
Jeff Goulding came off the bench to grab an 87th-minute winner, in a thrilling game at the EBB stadium that ended 3-2, after the Shots threw away a two-goal lead.
Paul McCallum gave Aldershot a controversial lead when the linesman confirmed he had bundled Craig Reid's cross over the line despite Damien Batt's attempted clearance.
Reid doubled the lead from the spot but Scott Davis and Jon-Paul Pittman drew Oxford level either side of Michael Raynes' red card.
But the Shots hit back through Goulding to end a run of six games without a victory for the league's bottom club.
"We made it hard for ourselves but the way we responded was tremendous and we deserved to win the game. We are right back in the hunt," said Scott.
"It gives us a real boost. This is why we turn up - it's so people go home happy. The crowd got right behind us and lifted us.
"Four points over the weekend is a good return. Now we are starting to pick up the points we deserve and we have to go to Port Vale and put in another performance.
"We are in touch with a lot of teams now and that's brought us back to the pack.
"From what I've heard the first goal was clearly over the line and there wasn't much appeal from the Oxford players."
