Edinburgh City has appointed Gary Naysmith as the club’s new first team manager.
The 42-year-old becomes the club’s third manager since promotion to the SPFL and closely follows their restructuring process, which has seen former boss James McDonaugh take up the role of Sporting Director.
Naysmith started his professional playing career with Hearts, making more than 100 appearances before signing for English Premier League giants Everton for £1.7m in 2000.
His move south led to more than 130 Premier League appearances along with many of his 46 Scotland international caps.
Despite several serious injuries during his time at Goodison Park, Gary made a £1m move to Sheffield United in 2007, becoming their regular full back in the English Championship before latterly agreeing moves to Huddersfield Town and Aberdeen.
In the twilight of his playing career he joined East Fife, which developed into a player-manager role; He went on to lead the Methil men to the League 2 title in 2016.
Following this success, he took over at Championship side Queen of the South later that year, a position he held until May 2019.
Most recently Naysmith has been in the role of Loan Manager for Hearts where he has overseen the development of the young players at the club.
In a unique situation, new Sporting Director James McDonaugh found himself being tasked with helping to appoint his successor and he was delighted to have this deal concluded in such a positive manner. He said: “Part of my first task as Sporting Director was to work together with the board to identify and recruit a new manager. We are delighted to announce Gary; someone who has experience of managing in and also winning this league. He is a UEFA Pro licensed coach and more importantly, his drive and ambition mirrors that of the board, which makes his appointment even more exciting.
I am looking forward to supporting him as the Club’s new manager and am sure he will play a huge role in our continued development.”
Naysmith told ECFCTV: “Firstly, I would like to say how proud I am to be named as the new manager of Edinburgh City.
I can honestly say that this is a role that I have been thinking about for a while if it became available and I am unbelievably excited to be getting the opportunity to front up a Club that I believe can become a significant force in the coming years.
“Talks with the Board started over the weekend, and after hearing about their plans for the Club’s future, as well as seeing their obvious passion and enthusiasm, I couldn’t wait to sign the contract and get started. The length of the contract is of personal importance to me as it allows an opportunity to build something from within over a period of time and that is something that holds a particular attraction for myself as I would like to make a significant contribution to the club over an extended period of time.
“I am also looking forward to working closely with James in his new role as sporting director. I have known James for many years now and we have always enjoyed a good relationship. He did a great job during his spell as manager and I think it is fantastic that he will hold such an important role at the club as we continue to build and move the club forward.”
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.
