ST JOHNSTONE striker Chris Kane last night celebrated the SPFL young player of the month award for January by thanking the youth coaches at Bonnyrigg Rose who converted him from a right back.
The 20-year-old's first chance at fame and fortune saw him fail to convince in a full back role during a trial at his boyhood heroes Hibs, but a prolific season in centre midfield led Gary Brown and Robert Dickson to give him a go up front and the rest is history. Kane is following the Stevie May route to success with a couple of loan spells at Dumbarton, but Tommy Wright now feels the next steps of his career should proceed at McDiarmid Park.
"I grew up a Hibs fan, I used to go to games with my dad," said Kane. "I enjoyed watching Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson and Steven Whittaker when they were there. I even went on a six-week trial with them. I played in a trial game against Celtic but it didn't go too well. I was a right-back at that time. I was 13 or 14 years old and I think it was 7-1 maybe. Islam Feruz scored all seven and it was tough going for us.
"But I had been a striker for about two years before I got picked up [by St Johnstone]," he added. "My boys' club manager pulled me in and said they would try me in centre mid because the centre-mid was getting trials somewhere else. They tried me in there for one season and I ended up scoring 60-odd goals so then he said, 'we'll try you up front'. I have stayed there since."
Kane paid tribute to the influence of another former Hibs legend in the form of Ian Murray at Dumbarton. "One of the first things he asked when I came in was whether I was a Hibs or a Hearts fan!" said Kane. "I think the fact that I was a Hibs fan made it a bit easier for him! He took me on loan and gave me the experience needed to come back to St Johnstone and start playing so he's influenced me a lot."
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