James McPake: Temporary hero

James McPake’s loan move to Easter Road has worked wonders for him and Hibernian

tHE shoulders are broad, the default setting is barnstorming and brave. In the eyes of Hibs fans, these facets of James McPake have made the on-loan Coventry City defender the figure above all who has carried the club to a Scottish Cup final that is like no other. And what could ensue from that final has the club captain getting carried away.

“I’m trying not think about the walking up the stairs bit [to lift the trophy]. But we’re 90 minutes away from being legends at this club, as big as they’ve got. Massive, massive players have graced the Easter Road pitch and we’ve a chance to do something that those great players never done. It’s scary.”

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Hibees who know their history might have something to say about any transient victors in a Scottish Cup final – even one achieved against Hearts to end a 110-year separation from the trophy – being held up alongside league-winning wonders the Famous Five, or titans such as Joe Baker and Pat Stanton. Yet, in fairness, McPake’s status has already been elevated by one of the club’s playing royalty. Regal 1970s captain Stanton was moved to describe the 27-year-old’s five-month contribution at Easter Road as in a “different class” the other day as he urged his old club to make a mooted £100,000 permanent move for him a reality.

“My dad phoned to tell me to go and buy a newspaper sharpish,” says McPake. “He said a legend was talking about me. I was too young to have seen him play but my dad’s a big football fan and knew all about him. When I ask my dad what he was like, he says it should be hugely satisfying for me that someone of that stature is singing my praises. It just goes to show what can happen if you come up and give your all to a club.”

What McPake has not talked about, with his manager Pat Fenlon or anyone at his newly-demoted League One parent club, is staying at Easter Road beyond the summer. With a year left on his contract, if he hears nothing he will be back in the Midlands for pre-season training. “We’ve just been speaking about the cup final,” he says. “It would be disrespectful to what’s going to be a great day if I asked the manager what’s happening with me. I’ll leave that up to both clubs. Despite what some people said at the time, I didn’t try to manufacture a move away from Coventry. If something gets decided then I’ll weigh up my options.”

Saturday will be a world away from watching Hibs lose 3-2 to St Johnstone in the sort of feckless fashion that characterised their league season as he pondered a return to Scotland in January. “I don’t think the other players would mind me saying they were poor that day. But I didn’t have anything to lose as I wasn’t playing at Coventry. I spoke to the manager here. I liked what he was saying, how he sounded and what his plans were.”

Fenlon may be exuding a calm detachment in the build-up to Saturday but while McPake says “that’s his way” about the training ground, he “changes a bit when it comes to getting you up for the game”. “Only us players see that but he’s a great motivator,” the defender says. “Win, lose or draw he has a good way of looking at football. You can have a go at him and he can have a go at you. It’ll be finished when it’s done. Whoever it is, he’ll tell them what he thinks. To be a good manager and a good man-manager you need to be like that.”

Coaching interests McPake – he is sitting his B licence – after the concerns that stalked him in the past year. He wondered what he would do with himself if he couldn’t play again after fracturing three vertebrae. The injury created cracks in his Coventry career that would not heal. “I couldn’t get back to anywhere near where I needed to be, I needed games, spoke to the boss [Aidy Boothyrod] but he couldn’t offer me that. Fortunately Hibs were willing to take chance.”

And much more, with Fenlon immediately handing him the captaincy. It paved the way for his efforts to help spare his temporary team from going down as his permanent club succumbed. “It was a real honour to be made captain. I know how big this club is. To get the armband on my debut showed that the manager had faith in me. I think the captaincy is one of these things you can do or you can’t – there’s no in-between. Fortunately, for me, it’s something I think I’m able to do.”

Slaying history against Hearts would be a pinnacle for a player who made the playing squad but wasn’t stripped when Livingston beat Hibs in the 2006 League Cup final. Hearts being the opponents on Saturday makes the prospect of defeat all the more unpalatable but McPake welcomed their semi-final victory over Celtic. “For our chances, it was better to get the lesser team, but that’s no disrespect to Hearts. Credit to Hearts for beating Celtic, but we wanted to avoid the runaway champions. It’s also added to the game, playing our rivals. It will be a great day.”