RECENTLY RETIRED BOHEMIANS captain Derek Pender will take the first steps into his coaching career as he takes charge of the club’s U17 side.
35-year-old Pender announced his retirement at the end of the 2019 season after eight years with the Bohs first team.
Pender played more than 200 times for the Dubliners in a League of Ireland career spanning 17 years, which also featured spells at Shelbourne, Dublin City, Shamrock Rovers, and Bray Wanderers.
Handed the Gypsies skipper armband by Keith Long in 2015, the senior manager now backs Pender to shine in his new role at the Bohs-St Kevin’s Boys amalgamation that competes in the SSE Airtricity U17 Northern Elite Division.
“It’s a great opportunity for Derek to cut his teeth in coaching. But it’s a huge opportunity for young players to learn from one of the most experienced and professional players in the league too.
“Again, he will also need time to implement his ideas and he will be ably assisted by Rory [Kirk, older brother of Bohs defender Paddy], who is a very respected with St Kevin’s.”
Bohemians also announced that Gavin Teehan has been appointed manager of the U19s, while Keith Roche will take charge of the Bohs-SKB U15s.
Bohs have earned a strong reputation for nurturing and unearthing talent through their underage structures of late, with the likes of Andy Lyons, Danny Grant, Ross Tierney, Ryan Graydon and Dawson Devoy have all making the step up to first-team football over the past three seasons.
Warren O’Hora, now on the books at Brighton, and Leicester City’s Ali Reghba are other notable graduates of the set-up.
Managerial appointments at Bohemians U19s, Bohs-SKB U17s and Bohs-SKB U15s: https://t.co/4bS3jAzWby 🔴⚫️🔶
— Bohemian FC 🔴⚫ (@bfcdublin) January 7, 2020
Best of luck to Gavin Teehan, Derek Pender and Keith Roche in their new roles. ✊🏼 pic.twitter.com/klwuI9gYKv
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