Chris Kane insists he is relishing the ‘next chapter’ in his career at Dunfermline after admitting the moment was right to leave St Johnstone.
The striker has signed a two-year deal with the Pars to bring to an end nearly 15 years at McDiarmid Park.
The 29-year-old joined Saints straight from school and went on to win a sensational cup double during almost 250 games with the Perth outfit.
However, having penned two short-term deals this season, and having been allowed to finish the campaign on loan at Dunfermline, Kane accepts it is right to move on.
He netted five times in ten appearances for the Pars in the Championship. And, with the familiarity of former team-mate Dave Mackay as assistant to manager James McPake, Kane is convinced the Fifers are the perfect next step.
“I am delighted,” he said. “The manager said even before we broke up that he wanted to make it happen.
“That helped me. Being at a club where the manager wants you is obviously the first thing that you want. So, I’m just really excited to get started.
“It was a good loan spell for me at Dunfermline, I really enjoyed it. I did well, kept myself fit and scored goals. That is what I wanted to do, so it was a good one.
Options
“Knowing the boys, how the team plays and how the manager works all helps.
“Once the manager got the ball rolling, I knew that it was something that I wanted to do. Thankfully we have done it pretty quickly.
“There were a few options, but we never really explored them.
“Dunfermline sent their offer in and, as soon as they did that, I was only going one way – unless a team in Saudi were going to offer me crazy money!”
A quick phone call from Saints manager Craig Levein gave Kane the news he was expecting about his future at McDiarmid Park.
And that set in motion his permanent switch to Dunfermline.
“To be honest, there weren’t many discussions,” he said of Saints. “I spoke to the manager the other day. Craig Levein phoned me and I knew what it was going to be about.
“Obviously they stayed up and I’m happy and delighted for them that they stayed up.
“But they have four strikers signed for next year. If they did want to keep me, I probably wasn’t going to play.
“It wasn’t something that I really thought was going to happen. I was just really waiting on the phone call and after that I knew that I was going to come to Dunfermline.”
‘Competitive league’
Kane made a major impression on the Pars after joining on loan in February.
As well as a handful of goals, his influence on the team was significant, thanks to his energy, work-rate and ability to link play.
It was almost enough to help drag the Fifers from a relegation battle to the promotion play-offs, before they eventually finished an injury-afflicted campaign in sixth.
Kane believes McPake’s side have the ability to improve again next term.
“It is going to be a really competitive league,” he said of the Championship.
“Dundee United are going up. They are a massive club and I feel that every team in the league now is pretty similar.
“We know that we are a really good team. If the whole team stays fit and we start well then I’m sure that we can have a successful season.
“It is really competitive. But, if we compete the whole season, hopefully we will be up there and push up as high as we can.”
