BRISTOL CITY have appointed Sean O’Driscoll as their new manager.

Derek McInnes was sacked shortly after the 4-0 home defeat to Leicester City on Saturday, which left the club bottom of the Championship and six points adrift of safety.

Former Nottingham Forest boss O’Driscoll, 55, turned down the manager’s job at fellow Championship strugglers Barnsley last week and it is believed he chose to join City in favour of Blackpool.

Bristol City football managing director Jon Lansdown said: "It's important that we give ourselves the best possible chance of surviving and moving up the Championship table this season. "In Sean we have someone with a track record of developing clubs longer term, as well as a wealth of experience at this level, which will be vital in our fight for survival in the Championship. "I am delighted he decided to join us ahead of a number of other offers he has received.

"This season has been a rocky ride and we find ourselves in a difficult position, but we still have the time and ability to get out of it. "We need everyone associated with Bristol City Football Club to pull together and get behind Sean, the staff and players to give them every ounce of support possible between now and the final game of the season."

O’Driscoll started his managerial career at Bournemouth, where he spent most of his playing days, and led the cash-strapped club to Division Three (now League Two) play-off success in 2003.

Within six months at Doncaster O’Driscoll won the Football League Trophy with a 3-2 success over Bristol Rovers in Cardiff and the following season he guided them to promotion to the Championship after they beat Leeds in the League One play-off final at Wembley.

With one of the lowest wage bills in the Championship, O'Driscoll managed to turn Rovers into a comfortable mid-table side for a number of seasons before he was sacked in 2011. He was named Crawley boss last May, but never took charge of a competitive game as he was lured to Forest by ambitious new owners before being surprisingly sacked on Boxing Day after just five months in charge following a 4-2 win over Leeds, which left the side on the brink of the play-offs.

City have conceded 54 goals in 26 Championship games this season and are the only side in the Football League to have failed to keep a clean sheet this season.

McInnes left St Johnstone to take charge in October 2011 with the club languishing at the bottom of the Championship following the sacking of Keith Millen and managed to keep them up, but oversaw a club record equalling seven-game losing run earlier this season.