Edinburgh City appoint Jim Jefferies as new sporting director

Jim Jefferies will join Edinburgh CIty. Picture; Michael Gillen

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Jefferies, who took in the club’s 0-0 home draw with Clyde a week past Saturday, returns to the game after leaving Dunfermline three years ago, stating at the time that it was likely to be his last job in football.

The 66-year-old returns to a city where has enjoyed great success in previous years, famously ending the Jambos’ 36 year wait for a trophy, winning the 1998 Scottish Cup with a 2-1 victory over Rangers at Celtic Park.

Jeffries returned to Tynecastle 12 years later, replacing Csaba Laszlo in January 2010, before leading Hearts to a third placed finish and European football the following season, before he was himself replaced by Portuguese Paulo Sergio.

The former Bradford boss’ role at City will see him liaise with manager Gary Jardine on player recruitment while acting as a sounding board for the management team and committee.

“During my chats recently with the club I’ve been impressed with their ambition and plans going forward and I look forward to helping them in areas which they feel they need support,“ said Jefferies. “I hope my years of experience can help them and I look forward to the challenge.”

Jardine is pleased to have someone with Jefferies’ vast experience to call on. “It’s another fantastic step in the right direction for the club,” he said. “If we have lacked anything as a Club since making the step up it would be experience. Jim coming in gives us that in abundance having been involved at every level of the game in Scotland and that can only improve Edinburgh City and on a personal level myself and the coaching staff.”