Brentford Under-18s hire Lydia Bedford as head coach in landmark appointment for women

Lydia Bedford has been announced as Brentford Under-18s head coach in a landmark appointment.

Bedford has left her position as assistant boss with Arsenal’s women team to become the first female coach to take the reins at a men’s professional side in England.

The former Leicester manager is set to work alongside Jon-Paul Pittman, who will join as assistant coach from Forest Green.

Brentford director of football Phil Giles said: “I’m really pleased that we’ve managed to attract such talented coaches as Lydia and Jon-Paul to our under-18 team for next year.

“We undertook an extensive recruitment process for these roles. Lydia and Jon-Paul were the two best candidates, and thankfully we were able to finalise their recruitment to the staff.

“I’m sure they will excel, and we all look forward to working with them through pre-season and beyond.”