Earlier today, Nick Montgomery was confirmed as the new head coach of Hibernian FC. With over 500 appearances as a player, including in the English Premier League, Championship and League One for Sheffield United before continuing his career in Australia and becoming a manager, football has always been a part of Nick Montgomery’s life.

Born in Leeds, England, Montgomery spent his early football years at Leeds United from the age of 10, before being offered his first football scholarship to Sheffield United in 2000 – a place Montgomery would call home for the next 12 years. following years.

After impressing with the reserve team in midweek, the teenager made his first-team debut in October 2000, under then-manager Neil Warnock.

It was the first of 398 appearances in red and white for the Blades, spanning 14 years during which the defensive midfielder was promoted to the English Premier League in 2005/06 and became the record holder of club appearances in the 21st century.

Towards the end of his time at Bramall Lane, Montgomery had a short spell at Millwall – which was cut short due to injury – before leaving Sheffield for a new adventure in Australia, joining Central Coast Mariners in the summer 2012.

Montgomery devoted another four years of his playing career to the Central Coast Mariners, winning the A-League championship in 2012/13 and being handed the captaincy the following season. In 2016, after making 116 appearances for the New South Wales team, Montgomery hung up his boots to take up a role on the club’s coaching staff.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Montgomery completed his UEFA Professional License coaching certificate and has made a lasting impact on the Central Coast Mariners Academy structure.

It was here that Montgomery first worked with Sérgio Raimundo – Hibs’ new assistant head coach – as a coach, bringing in the Portuguese to help rebuild the Academy and implement a new model game focused on producing the next generation of first-team stars. .

After winning the Premiership double with the NYL side, Montgomery was appointed head coach of the Central Coast Mariners in July 2021.

In his first season in charge, Montgomery galvanized the A-League side, basing his philosophy on the young players he believed in. Speaking to coachesvoice.com before being appointed, Montgomery described the challenges he faced and how he overcame them.

“At that time we had to sign eight players due to A-League rules – but there was only a quarter of the budget left. I immediately brought in young players from the training center on minimum wage contracts, who had not trained with the first team.

“I trust them completely. I knew that with a little time to accelerate their development in a full-time environment, they would be ready to challenge and surpass some of the more experienced players.

“In that first season, we ranked first in the Asian Football Confederation and 17th in the world for academy graduates playing in the first team. I also debuted in Garang Kuol at 17 years old. He became the youngest player in the World Cup round of 16 since Pelé, before moving to Newcastle United.

With one of the smallest budgets in the league, Montgomery inspired his team to the Australian Cup final for the first time in the club’s history in his first season in charge before leading the Mariners to the A-League title the following season – beating Melbourne City. 6-1 in the Grand Final earlier this season. The Mariners also qualified for the AFC Cup (the Asian equivalent of the Europa League) for the first time in their history.

Former Hibee – Jason Cummings – revitalized his career under Nick Montgomery, scoring a hat-trick in the final and breaking the record for most goals for the Mariners in a single season.

Cummings hailed Montgomery’s influence as life-changing, praising Montgomery’s effective man-management style. The Englishman also helped develop Lewis Miller (Hibs), Sammy Silvera (Middlesbrough), James McGarry (Aberdeen) and Garang Kuol (Newcastle), who were all sold abroad with the money reinvested in the club .

Montgomery now returns to Scotland – having featured twice for the Scotland Under-21 team as a player – and has signed three contracts alongside Sergio Raimundo (assistant head coach) and Miguel de Oliveira Miranda (coach of the guards).