Mick Kennedy has revealed he is in discussion with Scottish Premiership side Falkirk to bring goalkeeper Jay Hogarth on loan to the club this season. The East Kilbride manager confirmed the talks as his side prepares for their League One promotion campaign.
Hogarth's impressive season at Clyde
The 22-year-old spent last season at Lanarkshire rivals Clyde, where he faced East Kilbride on their way to winning the League Two title. Hogarth kept 13 clean sheets in 43 appearances for the Bully Wee and helped them reach the play-off final for promotion. He was signed by Falkirk last week on a one-year deal with the option of a further year, but Bairns boss John McGlynn is keen for Hogarth to gain more first-team experience through a loan move.
Kennedy's goalkeeping plans
Kennedy is looking to bring in both Hogarth and Craig Hepburn, who was on loan from St Johnstone last season as East Kilbride lifted the League Two title. Speaking to Lanarkshire Live Sport, Kennedy said: "There is potential for us to bring Jay in. We are speaking to Falkirk about that at the moment and there is a couple of other discussions going on with other individuals at other clubs. We need to get a couple of goalkeepers in soon because that is our priority."
Kennedy added: "We have spoken to a couple of goalkeepers and we are hopeful of getting one in this week. There is the situation with Craig Hepburn at St Johnstone that we are still looking at. If we can get Jay in, we would still look to get Craig in as well. It has always been our plan to make sure we have two top goalkeepers in the squad this season."
Pre-season preparations
East Kilbride kick off pre-season on Saturday with a friendly at home to Kelty Hearts. Kennedy acknowledged the urgency of the situation: "We would hopefully get someone over the line this week but, if we don't, we just go with one of our young boys for the friendly on Saturday." He also noted ongoing efforts to sign out-of-contract players: "We are actively speaking to other players who are out of contract and it is just about trying to convince them that East Kilbride is the best place to be."
