Former Birmingham City player earns new EFL position

A former West Brom, Birmingham, and Sheffield Wednesday coach has been hired as an assistant manager at a League Two club.

Jimmy Shan, the former West Bromwich Albion coach and interim manager, has accepted a new position as assistant manager at Sky Bet League Two club Swindon Town.

The 45-year-old, who began his coaching career at Birmingham City’s academy, is leaving his first-team coaching position at Huddersfield Town to pursue new opportunities. Shan, who formerly managed Solihull Moors and Rochdale, has progressively accumulated managerial experience in the English Football League.

Shan was the Albion under-23 head coach for four years before joining the West Brom senior team from 2018 to 2019. That came after nearly a decade of working his way up through the under-7, under-18, and under-21 teams.

Shan became friends with former Baggies manager Darren Moore at The Hawthorns, and the two have since worked together at Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield. A more lonely path beckons, with Shan eager to assist Swindon avoid relegation to the National League.

The Robins, in 20th, presently have an 11-point lead over the bottom two, but there are still half a dozen games left. The margins between Salford City and Doncaster Rovers above are three points or more.