BY IAIN COLLIN – @CCP_sport
Brad McKay insists he would seriously consider a permanent move to Dunfermline – if he has no future at St Johnstone.
The 22-year-old kicked off the season tasting Europa League football, but now has his sights firmly set on helping the Pars clinch the League One title.
The former Hearts defender moved to East End Park on loan in January after growing frustrated at his lack of first-team opportunities with Saints.
And he admits he would have no qualms about extending that agreement with the Fifers if he has no prospects of making an impact at McDiarmid Park again next term.
He said: “It didn’t work out as I would have hoped at St Johnstone. I hoped to play more games and cement a place in that team, but it didn’t work out that way – for whatever reason.
“I’m not too sure why. I know I was working hard every day in training but I needed to get game-time, because I was working hard all week without the reward of a start on a Saturday.
“Playing under-20s games is not the answer for someone my age. It’s about playing games and first-team experiences.
“I definitely wouldn’t say no to staying here, if the chance came up.
“That’s not me saying I want to leave St Johnstone or anything like that.
Reason
“I’m just saying that, for whatever reason, if they don’t want me back there or they go and get somebody else, then that’s football.
“Right now they don’t need me there, so it might be the case in the summer that they don’t need me again.
“If that’s the case it would be stupid of me to go back.
“This would be the first place I would look if that was the case because they’ve treated me well and shown me a lot of respect, so I would show them a lot of respect back.”
Dunfermline enjoy an eight-point lead over Peterhead going into this afternoon’s home clash with Stenhousemuir and McKay is relishing another battle for silverware.
The Scotland under-21 cap helped Hearts to the Championship title last season before leaving for St Johnstone and is determined to make it back-to-back promotions as the Pars enter their last 10 league outings.
He added: “It’s just a case of us taking care of our business every week. It’s a cliche saying it but it’s a simple fact, if we win the rest of our games then we’ll win the league.
“And football’s about winning stuff. People go through their whole career without winning anything.
“I won the Championship with Hearts last season and I’m looking to win something again this season in League One with Dunfermline, a massive club.”
