Dean Holden: Bristol City name Walsall coach as assistant head coach

Former defender Dean Holden played for, and later managed, Oldham Athletic

Walsall first-team coach Dean Holden has left the League One club to join Bristol City as assistant head coach.

The move will see Holden, 37, work with existing assistant John Pemberton and be reunited with head coach Lee Johnson, who he succeeded as Oldham boss in 2015 when Johnson joined City.

Since March, he worked under Walsall boss John Whitney - who says the move was too good for Holden to turn down.

"For Dean, it's a really good career move," Whitney told BBC WM.

"It's not great for me because I lose a really good coach and a good friend, but I also want the best for him."

Bristol City's chief operating officer Mark Ashton said: "John Pemberton's role remains exactly the same. Dean offers a different skill set and an additional resource in that area."

Johnson added: "I gave Dean his first chance in coaching at Oldham and he's now had two years' experience of being a manager, assistant manager and first-team coach."