Mercer guided the Tigers to five wins in their last 10 games after replacing Graham Steadman but it was too little to save them from the drop.

"We felt we need to make a fresh start after losing our Super League place," said chief executive Richard Wright.

"Although Gary had some success, he wasn't able to achieve the ultimate goal of Super league survival."

Wright confirmed that they had already started looking for a new boss, with player Brad Davis and former Widnes boss Neil Kelly among the front-runners.

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"We have already started our search for a successor to Gary and hope to be able to make an announcement quite soon," he said.

"However it is essential that we get the right man for the job.

"It is important that we find someone with the qualities to develop a squad that can take us straight back into Super League."