Hibernian FC have always been known for giving young players a chance and the latest to come through the ranks is Oli Shaw.
The 19-year-old recently impressed Head Coach Neil Lennon sufficiently to be given a three-year contract after a number of impressive performances for the first team.
The son of former Dunfermline and Airdrie player Greg Shaw, Oli made his debut for the club as a substitute in a League Cup victory over Montrose, having passed his driving test that morning.
He opened his goal-scoring account at Hampden Park in a 4-2 defeat to Celtic then scored again against the champions in a 2-2 draw at Easter Road. Only a goal-line clearance prevented him making history by ending Celtic’s unbeaten domestic run.
The youngster also had a ‘goal’ disallowed in the Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle when the officials failed to spot that his shot had crossed the line.
Shaw said: “I’m delighted to have signed and committed my future here at Hibs. It’s a massive club with great staff and a great manager and I am looking forward to continuing working and developing here.
“My goal is to play first-team football regularly here and to hopefully continue scoring goals.
“I’ve had a wee sniff of it recently, so I’m looking forward to getting back at it after the break and hopefully continuing with that.”
Neil Lennon said: “I am delighted that we have signed Oli on a new deal for the next three years.
“There is a maturity about his play for someone so young, but a rawness as well which makes him difficult to play against. He is a real talent, that’s for sure.
“His performances this season, especially last month, have really impressed me and his goals have been fantastic and shown a lot of the different aspects of the talent he possesses.
“He’s a good kid with a bright future ahead of him if he continues to work as hard in training and in games as he has done so far this season.”
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.
