'Ambitious' Adams fits Caldo's bill

Hibs boss Colin Calderwood today insisted Derek Adams was the perfect fit for his Easter Road coaching team after persuading the Ross County manager to become his right-hand man.

Calderwood took everyone by surprise by revealing that Adams, who took the Staggies to the final of the Active Nation Scottish Cup final last season - disposing of both Hibs and Celtic on the way - would join Hibs as his assistant.

The announcement ends a three-week search by Calderwood for his No 2, the Hibs manager admitting he had never crossed paths with Adams and had only "pencilled" his name on a list of candidates having taken note of his success with the First Division outfit.

However, Calderwood and 35-year-old Adams hit it off immediately, leading to Hibs negotiating his release from the Dingwall club where he had been in charge for the past three years.

The Hibs boss said: "Derek is as exciting a result as our win at Ibrox. It's an appointment borne out of a bit of homework and phone calls between certain people as I gathered a list of candidates.

"His name was written in pencil because of the job he was doing at Ross County."

Even so, Calderwood wasn't convinced Adams would be interested given the success he'd enjoyed at Victoria Park and the fact he was a manager in his own right.

He said: "But in the meetings we had we went from zero to 100 in next to no time, I have been hugely impressed by Derek's achievements at Ross County.

"I'd never come across him but the feeling I had when I met him in the first instance is probably why it moved so quickly.

"What I think I have seen is a very ambitious man, thought-provoking whenever I spoke to him and I know he will add to the excellence we have here."

Adams will join Gareth Evans, Alistair Stevenson and goalkeeping coach Scott Thomson on Calderwood's team, although the manager pointed out his backroom staff was far more extensive with each of them having a part to play.

He said: "I've always thought a backroom staff have to be as much a team and to enjoy coming to work together as the players."