Former Hibs star makes permanent Scottish football comeback as he leaves Barnsley to join ex-Easter Road ace

Oli Shaw (R) is back in the SPFL | SNS Group

Oli Shaw has made a permanent return to Scottish football, as the Hibs academy graduate joins Hamilton Accies.

The striker moves to the side managed by ex-Easter Road midfielder John Rankin on a three-year deal. Shaw started his career in Leith and broke into the first team at 17, going on to make 65 appearances for Hibs and scoring 12 goals. He’s since featured for Ross County, Kilmarnock, Barnsley and spent last season out on loan at Motherwell.

Shaw now swaps North Lanarkshire for South Lanarkshire with Hamilton returning to the Scottish Championship after a season in League One. Rankin said: “It’s great to get Oli into the club.

“I’ve been after him for a while now so it feels great to get him signed on. He’s a clinical striker with plenty experience in Scotland so he adds terrific depth & firepower to the front line.”

During his time at Hibs, hopes were high for Shaw. So much so, that then-chief executive Leeann Dempster hailed him as one of Europe’s top talents. She said in 2019: "Oli Shaw, two goals in two games, fantastic.

"Absolutely one of the best young players, certainly for his age group, in Europe. We are excited about having him at the club."

Shaw earned a move to Barnsley after helping Killie win the Championship, scoring 20 times in 51 games. But his time at Motherwell proved difficult after no goals in eight matches at Barnsley, suffering injury while also failing to score across his 19 appearance in claret and amber. He picked up two assists in that time.