John Hughes appointed new Dunfermline manager

Dunfermline have appointed John Hughes as their new manager.

The 57-year-old former Falkirk, Hibernian, and Inverness boss has signed a deal until the end of next season and will work with the club’s existing backroom staff, including Steven Whittaker and Greg Shields.

A club statement read: “As is normal, a small group of directors, nominated by the board, followed a robust process to select candidates both from those that formally applied, as well as approaching others to ascertain whether they would like to be considered for the position.

“In the end, we identified a small number of candidates who had the right credentials, at this moment in time, to be worthy of interview. Two candidates performed especially well at interview.

“However, it was the unanimous decision of the board that John Hughes, by virtue of his previous experience and leadership qualities, was the man we should appoint to help us stabilise our club’s position in the SPFL Championship, and take us further forward.”

Hughes replaces his former Celtic team-mate, Peter Grant, who was sacked earlier this month after failing to register a league win in his short spell in charge.

The Pars sit four points adrift at the foot of the Championship after recording seven draws and six defeats in 13 games.

Hughes was most recently in charge of Ross County, who he led to Premiership safety after taking over on December 21 last year with the Staggies bottom of the table. County subsequently appointed Malky Mackay when Hughes’ short-term contract ran out.

Hughes’ previous managerial job, with Dunfermline’s Fife rivals Raith, did not go so well. Hughes also took over Rovers on a short-term basis in February 2017 but they were relegated from the Championship at the end of the season following a play-off defeat to Brechin.