Dee close in on loan for Gers kid

DU N DE E boss Ja mes McPake hopes yesterday’s pe r for ma nce aga i n st A be rdee n i mpressed Rangers kid Josh McPake enough to join the Dark Blues on loan.

The 17-year-old was the Gers Academy Player of the Year last season and has drawn plenty of interest at both club and international level.

The Republic of Ireland are hoping to call the youngster up to their U/21 squad under the noses of Scotland.

At club level, however, Dens Park could be his next destination on a loan deal from Ibrox after attending yesterday’s 2-1 extra-time defeat to Aberdeen.

And the Dark Blues gaffer hopes to get a deal over the line in the next 48 hours.

James said: “Hopefully, we will get a deal over the line for Josh and he will join us.

“I could have done with him yesterday.

“But he’s a player we hope to sign and, once again, the board have backed me, like they have done with every manager here.”

Meanwhile, the Dens boss says the good display against the Dons “has been coming for a while”.

Dundee led deservedly through Danny Johnson’s first-half penalty but were pegged back in stoppage time by Andrew Considine’s close-range finish before Sam Cosgrove struck to send the Dons into the quarter-finals.

James said: “I had pride in my team but I expect them to play like that because I know them, I signed them.

“That’s been coming for a while, I think, that type of performance.

“I’m devastated for the players and the fans.

“The players put so much effort in but there was quality in there as well and, over the 90 minutes, we deserved to win the game of football.”

Kane Hemmings missed out through injury but he’s not expected to be missing for an extended period.

“Kane had a little niggle where we possibly could have risked him. I wasn’t going to do it. I still believe it was the right decision.

“I wasn’t willing to risk it for the sake of one game.

“It was a very important game but I wasn’t willing to risk Kane Hemmings for six weeks, I’d rather get him right and ready for the games coming up.”

Dundee boss James McPake yells his side on at Dens Park yesterday as the Dark Blues lost out in extra-time to Premiership Aberdeen.