Former Eagles captain, Paddy McCarthy, has been appointed as the club’s new under-18s manager, replacing Ken Gillard who joined Arsenal last month.





McCarthy made 151 appearances for Palace over seven seasons before retiring through injury in the summer, and having been involved with coaching youngsters during his playing days he had been offered the chance to manage the club’s under-16s before his latest appointment.





His first game will be on Saturday against Cardiff City, and ahead of that he said “It is a fantastic first step for me, I am familiar with the club and it is one that I have a great passion for. I am looking forward to getting into the job and my first game this weekend.”





The move into coaching has always appealed to Paddy and he explained the work that has been undertaken to be in a position to take on this new role.





“I started working on the coaching badges from when I was 28 and through the summer got my B and A licence together with working on the youth modules as well. I have always had a keen eye on going into coaching, it’s always been a passion of mine. This is a great first start for me on the ladder and I am looking forward to pushing on and getting players through ready for them to make the next step in their career.”





A player of Paddy’s experience can look back on what is needed to become established at top level of the game and guide the future Palace prospects in the academy.





“I have been at Manchester City as a 16 year old so I understand what it takes to make a career in the game from an early age and also understand what is needed to step out in front of a packed Selhurst Park and the demands of playing at the top level so I will be looking to transfer over to the lads what I have learned and look forward to seeing their progress in these early days of their footballing career. Hopefully see them progress into players, on and off the pitch, that the club can be proud of.”







