McInnes homes in on another striker

Jul 4 2008 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

SAINTS boss Derek McInnes is stepping-up his search for a left-back to fill the slot vacated by Goran Stanic.

The St Johnstone manager yesterday revealed he wouldn’t be following-up on Spanish Second Division player Ruben Yepes, who had been under the microscope during the club’s pre-season trip south of the border.

Ironically, it was East Fife-bound Stanic who put the Spaniard’s name in the frame.

But PA Sport understands that McInnes is closing in on a deal to add experienced target man Derek Holmes to his squad.

The ex-Rotherham striker showed up well at the training camp in Birmingham and the 29-year-old Scot, whose previous clubs include Hearts and Ross County, is ready to commit himself to the Perth cause.

McInnes observed: “The search goes on for a left-back and we have made further inquiries over the past few days.”

If the McDiarmid manager can secure Holmes as a frontline alternative, only the full-back piece is missing from his jigsaw.

With a closed doors game looming tomorrow against Ayr United, McInnes said players would be given limited game time as his preparations for the new campaign stepped-up a notch.

“The trip south was very productive and we put together 14 sessions.

The lads all worked hard but there is still plenty to be done,” he stressed. “We have games coming up now but we won’t be taking the foot off the gas.

“In the closed doors games the boys will get 45 minutes or an hour and we’ll work it up to the 90-minute mark. They are all in the same boat and lads like Kevin James, Martin Hardie and Stuart McCaffrey, who had injuries problems last season, have done all the training. Peter

MacDonald, who had surgery for a double hernia at the end of the season, has also been throwing himself into it.

“But we might leave him out this weekend. A decision has still to be made.”