Dunfermline have unveiled former Celtic and Hearts coach John McLaughlan as their academy’s new ‘head of professional development’.
The ex-Partick Thistle, Hamilton Accies and Morton player steps in to replace Greg Shields, who left the Pars in January for a job outside of football.
Shields, a former player with the Fifers, had held posts as coach with the first-team and reserves, before moving into the academy in a leadership role.
The East End Park outfit began the hunt for Shields’ successor earlier in the year and opted to put an appointment on hold until after the end of the season.
The experienced McLaughlan was then identified as the ideal candidate after the available post attracted a flurry of interest.
McLaughlan knows Dunfermline manager James McPake from their time together at Livingston, where he began as coaching and development manager before departing for Partick Thistle in 2003.
Financial cutbacks sped his exit from Firhill but he was quickly snapped up by Celtic and spent nearly two decades in the Hoops’ youth set-up before leaving for Hearts in 2021.
He was named as coaching development manager with the Jambos but also took charge of the under-18s, B team and women’s team during a two-year stint at Tynecastle.
‘I hope we can become a force’
Dunfermline relaunched their youth system in 2022 and a young side lifted the SPFL Reserve Cup with a 2-1 win over Livingston in April.
McLaughlan is hopeful it is the start of a fruitful relationship between the academy and McPake’s top-team squad.
Dunfermline’s German owners have invested heavily in a bespoke training ground for the club at Rosyth and also in reworking the academy structure.
McLaughlan commented: “My forte has been developing players for first-teams and working in all areas across the academy spectrum.
“I demand a lot from the players, in terms of how they play, and I hope that we can become a force in creating that pathway for players into the first-team.”
