Ex Hibs star lands manager job as he's set to mark new era at A-League club with high voltage football

A former Hibs midfielder has landed a senior management chance in the A-League at Newcastle Jets.

Mark Milligan spent between 2018-19 at Hibs towards the end of his playing career that was largely spent in Asia and his native Australia, who he featured for 80 times. In total, Milligan played 31 times for the Easter Road side before a stint at Southend United and then heading back to Australia.

Milligan most recently was assistant coach with the Malaysian National Team under fellow Australian Peter Cklamovski, having previously worked as an assistant coach with Adelaide United from 2022-2025. He started out his post-playing career with Macarthur and now becomes the top man at a team he featured with between 2008-09.

Former Hibs midfielder verdict on head coach chance

Maverick Sports Partners Executive Chairman Maurice Bisetto said: “As we progressed through the process of identifying a new A-League Men’s Head Coach, it became clear that Mark was well placed to take the Club into a new era. Mark has made the transition to coaching seamlessly and we are excited to have him onboard as a leader in our organisation.

“Having spent time here as a player, Mark knows what it means to connect to the community and the importance of establishing an identity for the Newcastle Jets. We are confident Mark will be able to instill a strong culture across all facets of the Club, including building a winning team that the region can be proud of.

Milligan said, “I am excited and thankful for the opportunity to be the Club’s new Isuzu Ute A-League Men’s Head Coach. It is exciting times under the new ownership of the Newcastle Jets, and it was clear very early on that their strategy is consistent with my vision for the Jets, which will be built on player development and ultimately achieve team success.

“Having played for the club and spent time in Newcastle, I am acutely aware of the fan’s desire to see a certain brand of football based on a high energy attacking style of play. I look forward to working with this group of players and adding to the foundations that have begun to be put in place. We will continue building the relationships that the Maverick Sports Partners have been re-establishing.”

Milligan verdict on Hibs

The former midfielder loved his time in Leith. He said previously of his Hibs stint: “It was a little bit unsettling with Neil Lennon leaving and the mid-season tournament with the national team but I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Hibs. From a football point of view, the second half of the season was a lot better for me.

“It’s often hard travelling with the national team but once that second half of the season kicked in I was able to settle in more. I was very disappointed that I had to leave but it got taken out of my hands a little bit, I’d 100% have stayed, my wife still gets angry at me for leaving! It’s always hard to adapt when you switch countries but knowing you have such a good following makes things easier. Paul Heckingbottom was a very talented coach and I really enjoyed the way he had us playing. That was the disappointing thing for me, I think I started every single game under him when I was there.

“It is hard, he was trying to build a longer-term goal and mould the way Hibs play and the culture of the club. But you always have to be careful with a club like Hibs where the culture in the changing room is very strong. If you come in and try to change too much too soon, especially at a club that has a good culture, you can find it difficult. There are a lot of strong personalities at that club in a good way but when you try and make such big changes it can be very difficult to get that right.

“But I understood what Paul Heckingbottom was trying to do at the club. It obviously didn’t work for him but they are back on track now. He was looking long-term and wanted to go younger, which happens when you get towards the end of your career. To see him depart so early in the campaign last term was a bit hard to watch as we were very happy in Edinburgh and Scotland.”