Former Leeds United, Liverpool, Sheffield United & Barnsley man joins former Premier League club

Former Leeds United manager Neil Redfearn has been appointed as an assistant coach to Steve Thompson at National League strugglers Oldham Athletic.

The Latics parted company with former Everton and Aston Villa player David Unsworth nine games into the new season as the club claimed he failed to meet expectations with just one win to start the campaign.

Thompson was named interim head coach following Unsworth’s dismissal and won his first game in charge as Oldham beat York City 2-0 on Tuesday night. Following a winning start to his spell in charge, Thompson has moved to bolster his coaching staff with the addition of Redfearn.

He said: “I’m really pleased to have Neil on board, he’s an exceptional coach and is someone I’ve known and trusted throughout my career.

“I came through the ranks at Bolton with Redders, we were both apprentices and made our debuts together so I’ve known him a long time. He is very well-respected already at Oldham and as a coach he is a big asset for both myself and the club.

“We were manager and assistant at Leeds and we’ve always kept in touch. He knows how to get the best out of players and I’m delighted to have him alongside Paul Murray and Steve Collis.”

Redfearn made his professional debut for Bolton Wanderers in 1982 and also had spells at Crystal Palace, Oldham, Barnsley, Lincoln City and others before moving into management.

He was caretaker at Leeds three times before being named permanent manager in November 2014 after Darko Milanič’s departure. He signed an initial 12-month deal but was replaced by Uwe Rösler in May 2015. He later joined Rotherham United and then moved into the women’s game with Doncaster Belles, Liverpool Women and most recently at Sheffield United Women.

The 58-year-old first joined Leeds as coach of the Under-18s side in January 2009 before moving up to the Under-21s, then called the reserves, in December 2010. His caretaker spells came after the respective departures of Simon Grayson, Neil Warnock and Dave Hockaday.

Oldham were founding members of the Premier League as they competed in the first two seasons of the competition but were relegated in 1994.