JOHN Hughes has been announced as the new manager of Dunfermline Athletic.

He's signed a contract with the club until the summer of 2023 and will work alongside the existing back room staff, including Steven Whittaker and Greg Shields.

Hughes has been tasked with keeping Dunfermline in the Championship, they're currently winless and bottom of the table.

The 57-year-old left Ross County in the summer after keeping the Staggies in the Premiership, and has previously taken charge of Pars' rivals Raith Rovers and Falkirk, as well as Hibs, Livingston, Inverness Caley and Hartlepool.

A statement on the club website said: "He is a highly experienced manager who is highly regarded for developing young players, at the majority of his previous clubs.

"As is normal, a small group of directors, nominated by the board, followed a robust process to select candidates both from those that formally applied, as well as approaching others to ascertain whether they would like to be considered for the position.

"In the end, we identified a small number of candidates who had the right credentials, at this moment in time, to be worthy of interview.

"Two candidates performed especially well at interview.

"However, it was the unanimous decision of the board that John Hughes, by virtue of his previous experience and leadership qualities, was the man we should appoint to help us stabilise our club’s position in the SPFL Championship, and take us further forward."

Hughes, a centre back who played for Falkirk, Hibs and Celtic amongst others during his career, will be at tomorrow's match at Inverness but will watch from the stand before taking charge of the team next week.