Rangers winger Josh McPake has been catching the eye while on loan at League Two Harrogate Town as he looks to impress and force his way into the first-team squad at Ibrox and, after scoring an 89th-minute winner over Bradford City, he’s delighted with the progress he’s been making.
With 20 starts from 22 games under his belt since his move, McPake has been given plenty of opportunities by Town boss Simon Weaver and the 19-year-old has helped them to 16th in League Two.
There have been inconsistencies from McPake too, unsurprisingly, as he looks to continue his development before returning to Rangers to fight for a place in Steven Gerrard’s first-team squad.
Recent weeks though have seen McPake’s game go up a level with strikes against Leyton Orient and Bradford, the latter a stunning effort from the edge of the area.
The Scotland youth international admits he gets “frustrated” with his finishing at times but is delighted with the way he’s handled the step up from Academy football to playing regularly in League Two.
“It was a long time coming, I had a few chances in the game, so thankfully I put that one away at the end,” said McPake speaking to the Harrogate Advertiser.
“All my goals have come from that kind of area, so when the ball came to me on the left wing I kind of had an idea of what I was going to try and do and I pretty much knew it was going in from when I hit it.
“It was good, sometimes I get a bit frustrated with my finishing, so I was very pleased, I’ve been working hard for it.
“I can always clean up, I’m never going to be perfect, but I definitely feel like I’ve been getting better the more games I’ve played.
“Coming from academy level it is always hard to make that step up to first-team football, but I’ve enjoyed every minute that I’ve been at Harrogate. I’ve played a hell of a lot of minutes and I’m very happy with my progress over the last few months.”
In other news, ‘Don’t think you can’: Keown says Arsenal simply can’t afford to sell their £15m man
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
