The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Mackay seeks boost from strike pair
ST JOHNSTONE captain Dave Mackay would love to see the club’s two main strikers sign new long-term deals.
There were reports at the weekend that Stevie May is close to agreeing terms on his extension, but they were wide of the mark.
That doesn’t mean to say it won’t happen, though.
And Steven MacLean is possibly days away from putting pen to paper.
According to Mackay, who was speaking at the club’s golf day at Crieff, it would be brilliant news for the club if both deals could be concluded.
He said: “Mayso has had an incredible first season at this level.
“It’s amazing to come into this league after spending a couple of years in the lower divisions and score so many goals.
“He deserves everything he gets at the moment. He works very hard for it and deserves the rewards.
“There’s no reason why he can’t go on to get 30 goals and that’s on a par with player of the year Kris Commons at Celtic. It is unbelievable really.
“He has three league games and the final to go.
“I’d be happy to see him get a hat-trick in the cup final. The league is important but it would be special to win the cup.
“I see Mayso is talking about a contract extension.
“He is obviously enjoying his football and playing every week and scoring goals. He must feel there’s no need to rush into a move just now. Maybe he could go down south and find himself sitting on a bench and not getting the same opportunities he has here.
“So whoever is advising him is doing the right thing about staying here longer. Another season or more up here would stand him in good stead for the rest of his career.
“Macca and Mayso are two massive players for us and if we can get them and Lee Croft tied up on new deals it would be a tremendous boost.
“We are building a team which is already looking good with next season in mind.
“Every season I have been here we seem to have been bringing in 10 or 12 players. It has been a rebuilding job. But it will be different this summer.
“This time it is a settled and successful squad and we can go and kick on.
“The manager obviously feels the guys are doing a great job for him and they deserve the reward of another contract.
“The players are being rewarded for their good efforts and the club is looking after them.”
Clarifying the latest contract state of affairs, manager Tommy Wright said: “Stevie and his agent have agreed to sit down and talk about it and that is positive.
“But it is Stevie MacLean we hope to tie down this week. We are almost there and that one is probably closer than Lee Croft.
“We are also looking to get keeper Zander Clark and some of the younger ones sorted this week as well.”
Mackay believes the weekend draw at Aberdeen was a significant one.
“It was a good point at a difficult venue and it kept our unbeaten run going,” he said.
“That was important. I would imagine this is the best run of form of the entire season because we were inconsistent earlier on.
“The more games you go unbeaten, the more the confidence grows.”
Mackay believes Wright is striking the right balance between training and rest.
“We had the PFA awards night on Sunday and then the club golf day at Crieff. It has been a long season and rest is just as important as training now,” he said.
“The management team will know who needs a day off here and there. They are looking after us well and we are producing the performances.”