Peterhead boss Jim McInally likes what he sees with young goalkeeper Joshua Rae – but says he needs to play more.
Rae played 10 games in League Two last season for Cowdenbeath – he also featured as a triallist for Queen’s Park and Edinburgh City – before joining up with McInally’s side in pre-season.
He has started all four fixtures so far and at 20 years old, has impressed McInally between the posts.
The young stopper spent time in the youth systems at Celtic and Leeds and had summer trials with Sunderland and West Brom.
However, McInally believes Rae is at the age where he needs to be continuing his development by playing senior football, rather than joining up with reserve teams.
McInally said: “I’m delighted with Josh. We played Airdrie last week and I don’t think he had one save to make outside the penalty and the headed goal.
“He had a really good save against Cove down to his right-hand side and then in the second half he’s tipped the two free-kicks over the bar.
“He’s a wee bit untested – he needs to learn how to kick here, which is big for a goalie, learning how to kick at Peterhead.
“But for a young goalie, you can see the stature of him and he just needs to play for a wee while. I think he’s got an agent who’s looking to take him all over Britain to bigger clubs but he just needs to play and learn his trade here.
“For his age he looks like a proper goalkeeper. He’s confident that’s for sure. He’s quiet but confident.”
Rae has so far kept out fellow Blue Toon goalkeeper Lenny Wilson, who signed at the start of last season and served as back-up to Greg Fleming.
The departure of Fleming in the summer to Stranraer has created competition for the starting berth and McInally feels new goalkeeping coach Jim Butter is in perfect position to judge the two.
Butter replaced long-serving goalkeeping coach Scott Tait in the summer, after he retired for family reasons.
McInally added: “Jim has been here for a wee while now and I think he’s enjoying the fact we’ve got two younger goalies.
“Josh had two saves from free-kicks and at 20-year-old, he’s a decent goalkeeper. Him and Lenny (Wilson) will fight for the jersey and Jim is a good man to have in charge of them as he’s a workhorse.”