New contract for Hibs’ teenage striker Oli Shaw

Hibernian FC have always been known for giving young players a chance and the latest to come through the ranks is Oli Shaw.

The 19-year-old recently impressed Head Coach Neil Lennon sufficiently to be given a three-year contract after a number of impressive performances for the first team.

The son of former Dunfermline and Airdrie player Greg Shaw, Oli made his debut for the club as a substitute in a League Cup victory over Montrose, having passed his driving test that morning.

He opened his goal-scoring account at Hampden Park in a 4-2 defeat to Celtic then scored again against the champions in a 2-2 draw at Easter Road. Only a goal-line clearance prevented him making history by ending Celtic’s unbeaten domestic run.

The youngster also had a ‘goal’ disallowed in the Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle when the officials failed to spot that his shot had crossed the line.

Shaw said: “I’m delighted to have signed and committed my future here at Hibs. It’s a massive club with great staff and a great manager and I am looking forward to continuing working and developing here.

“My goal is to play first-team football regularly here and to hopefully continue scoring goals.

“I’ve had a wee sniff of it recently, so I’m looking forward to getting back at it after the break and hopefully continuing with that.”

Neil Lennon said: “I am delighted that we have signed Oli on a new deal for the next three years.

“There is a maturity about his play for someone so young, but a rawness as well which makes him difficult to play against. He is a real talent, that’s for sure.

“His performances this season, especially last month, have really impressed me and his goals have been fantastic and shown a lot of the different aspects of the talent he possesses.

“He’s a good kid with a bright future ahead of him if he continues to work as hard in training and in games as he has done so far this season.”