Attacker sends message to Hearts as he prepares for Jambos transfer as new Tynecastle tune could hit Gorgie
Hearts have already started their planning for next season’s Premiership campaign.
Josh McPake has thanked Derek McInnes for allowing him to focus on St Johnstone’s title charge - as he gets ready for Hearts.
The former Rangers player will feature for Saints one last time this week as they take on Ayr United. Simo Valakari’s side have already won the Championship and will return to the Premiership next term, but without their talisman, who has signed a pre-contract agreement with Hearts.
McPake penned the deal in the winter transfer window but form has not dropped form, scoring 19 goals this term, with four assists. A 10-minute conversation with the St Johnstone manager helped convince all parties there would be no thoughts of elsewhere, and that was aided by Hearts gaffer McInnes, who showed plenty of respect to the team he started his managerial career with.
Josh McPake on transfer to Hearts
He told the Courier: “The way the gaffer handled the whole thing was first class. He pulled me before the Ayr United game in the pre-match. I just thought he wanted a chat about the game. But he told me Hearts had been in contact. I don’t know if he was worried that I would down tools. I’ve seen it before and it often doesn’t end well. We had a conversation for about 10 minutes.
“I assured him it wouldn’t happen to me, and I’d keep going until the end of the season. The gaffer had been through it before with other people, so he needed that reassurance and I gave him my word. That night we were 2-0 down and I was thinking ‘oh no’ but we managed to turn it around in the second half. And you saw the celebration with the gaffer after I scored our third goal that night. I think after that, the manager didn’t have any doubts about it and we’ve never looked back.
“Hearts were clear from the outset that it would be for the summer,” said the former Scotland under-21 international. That helped as well. Often when someone signs a pre-contract there’s speculation about will they take the player now or not.
What chant will Josh McPake bring to Hearts?
“But from day one Derek made it clear he wasn’t going to do that and I’d be at St Johnstone for the full season. That really helped me, it helped the gaffer here and I think it was good for our supporters too because it was all nipped in the bud early and there was clarity. The fact Derek is an ex-St Johnstone manager and has a lot of respect for this club helped. I think everyone has handled it really well and it’s worked out for the best.”
McPake was serenaded by players and fans at St Johnstone last week with a tune to ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’ in his honour amid title glory. Fans in Gorgie have sung Queen’s ‘Radio Gaga’ in honour of Claudio Braga this season and McPake insists it’ll be up to them if his anthem is to go alongside him.
He added: “It’s a great song but it won’t be up to me whether I take it with me! Someone told me the Saints fans first sung it about Matty Kennedy. I hadn’t known that. It is a brilliant one. I do love it! Although I was a bit embarrassed to be caught singing it at Dunfermline last week. The boys were trying to get me to sing it over the megaphone but that was a step too far – singing your own song is bad enough!”