Hibs have announced that Joe McBride has been appointed the club’s new Under-20s Player Development Coach.
McBride followed in the footsteps of his father, Joe Snr, by playing for Hibernian – recording 92 appearances and scoring 11 goals during a three-and-half year stay at Easter Road during the mid-1980s.
He is best remembered by fans for scoring two late free kicks against Hearts at Tynecastle to secure a valuable point when the game looked lost.
Joe also featured for Everton, Rotherham United, Oldham Athletic, Dundee, East Fife, Albion Rovers, Livingston and Hamilton Academical before the curtain came down on his playing career in 1996.
Now 54, McBride has a wealth of coaching experience from spells with Celtic, and Watford where his primary role was to develop young players.
McBride then became first team coach with Cardiff City and helped the club to achieve promotion into the English Premier League.
Speaking to Hibs TV, McBride said: “My job goal is to develop players, who will be knocking on the door for a first team place.
“I really enjoyed my time as a player here at Hibs, I’m delighted to now be back at the club and I’m excited about the challenge ahead.”
Head of Football Operations George Craig says he is delighted to have McBride on board in a key role within the football department.
Craig said: “The club received a huge amount of applicants for the position, but Joe was the stand-out candidate for the role and we’re really pleased to be able to bring him to Hibernian.
“He has a proven track record of developing quality young players and the fact he already has a strong connection with Hibernian made him ideally suited for the job.”
Academy Coaching Manager Eddie May, who was in temporary charge of the under-20s, will now revert back to his original remit to strengthen and improve the club’s youth set-up.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
