James McPake insists loans can be the key to turning Dunfermline Athletic’s promising youngsters into first-team stars.
And he insists he is not overly bothered by how the spell away from East End Park goes – as it is all part of the learning curve.
Andrew Tod and Taylor Sutherland last week penned new contracts as they aim to make a top-team push following loans away from the Pars.
And fellow teenagers Ewan McLeod and Jake Sutherland, Taylor’s younger brother, were both recently farmed out to local East of Scotland side Crossgates Primrose for the rest of the campaign.
McPake believes the moves will be crucial in each player’s development.
And he has cited Dundee star Lyall Cameron as the perfect example of the benefits of loans, even if game-time is limited.
He said: “We have let another two go out on loan – Ewan McLeod and Jake Sutherland, who have been really impressive – and that’s with a view to next season
“They have gone out to get experience of men’s football.
“Then, from the two or three months of getting that, they will come back in pre-season ready the way Andrew Tod was, and the way Taylor Sutherland is ready to make an impact on our first-team.
We weren’t caring how the loan went. It is just about getting them that experience and growing them as young men.”
DAFC boss James McPake
“It is something that we couldn’t really do with the injuries we had, but now I think it is really beneficial to get these players out on loan.
“Whether it is a good loan or not, it is just sometimes good to get them out and experiencing that.
Young Pars players gain experience
“Andrew (Tod) didn’t have a good loan but we knew that it wasn’t a case of him having to go to Elgin to prove to us that he is a good player.
“It was to experience the other side of football.
“After he came back, he started the first game of the Championship season. That’s the way we look at loans.”
McPake added: “Looking back to Dundee, we did (something) similar with Lyall Cameron.
“He couldn’t get a game for Peterhead (on loan), but he is now a mainstay in the Dundee team.
“We weren’t caring how the loan went. It is just about getting them that experience and growing them as young men.
“It’s about giving them that experience so that when they come back here they feel like they are that wee bit further on and ready to go. “
Tod spent the second half of last season at Elgin, while Taylor Sutherland played 11 times for Bonnyrigg Rose in the first half of this term.
The likes of Miller Fenton, Paul Allan and Sam Young, who has also penned a contract extension, have also been loaned out by Dunfermline in recent seasons.
McPake added: “It is about taking them out of their comfort zone.
“They need to walk into a first-team dressing room where players are playing for points.
“They have not had that experience before – playing for win bonuses.
“Sometimes it is part-time (football), so they have to learn different ways and different training methods.
McPake on ‘education’ behind loan deals
“It is just all adding to their education, in terms of football but also as a young person.
“At different stages of their career, you monitor it and see where they are best suited to going.
“There has got to be a plan when they are going out on loan, especially if it is their first loan as well.
“For me, it is a box ticked, they have had their first loan. Then, we look and see what we do with them next year.
“They either become part of our first-team squad, if they have developed enough, or we get them a better loan that we think can enhance their career.”
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