Latest news with #MacaulayTait
BBC News
12 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Hearts midfielder Tait returns to Livi on loan
Hearts midfielder Macaulay Tait has returned to Livingston for a second loan spell after helping the West Lothian side to promotion last 19, signed for Livingston in January and played 23 times as they reclaimed their top-flight status via the will link up with David Martindale's side again in the Scottish Premiership on a season-long deal, where Hearts say he will "continue his development".
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Livingston keen on Tait return
Livingston are keen on a return for Hearts midfielder Macaulay Tait, 19, following his successful loan last season, but there is also interest from Dundee, Falkirk and St Johnstone. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required), externalRead Thursday's Scottish gossip
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Premiership clubs eye Hearts midfielder as a transfer target
Tough decisions to come at Riccarton ahead of the 2025/26 season Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scottish Premiership clubs are interested in signing Hearts midfielder Macaulay Tait following his successful loan at Livingston last season. The 19-year-old helped the West Lothian club gain promotion from the Championship and captured attention from top-flight teams in the process. The Livingston manager David Martindale remains a huge admirer of Tait, who featured 23 times last season as a key member of the team which came through the play-offs to rejoin the Premiership. Livingston would like Tait back for the new season but Hearts are more likely to consider another loan than a permanent transfer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tait signed a new four-year contract at Tynecastle Park last year and is committed to his parent club until 2028. Derek McInnes is still assessing the first-team squad at Riccarton after his appointment last month, and Tait faces strong competition for game time from a number of senior players. Beni Baningime, Cammy Devlin, Calem Nieuwenhof, Aidan Denholm and new signing Oisin McEntee can all play in his favoured central midfield berth. Dundee have also monitored the Riccarton youth academy graduate in recent months. It remains to be seen if the new manager at Dens Park, former Hearts captain Steven Pressley, decides to make a formal approach to sign the youngster. St Johnstone are also aware of Tait's impact on Livingston's promotion push following the Perth club's relegation to the Championship in May. The Edinburgh News understands that the player would prefer to stay in the Premiership if possible. Tait played only twice for Hearts last season, both in European matches. He was a substitute in the opening UEFA Conference League tie against Dinamo Minsk in Azerbaijan as the Edinburgh club won 2-1. He then made the starting line-up for the final game of the competition's league phase against Petrocub at Tynecastle, which ended in a 2-2 draw. Livingston made an approach to take the player on loan in January, and he quickly became a regular starter under Martindale. With a cultured left foot, composure on the ball and a wide range of passing, he brought a calmness to the middle of the pitch in West Lothian. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Transfer ins and outs at Hearts before the window closes McInnes is facing some important decisions at Hearts as he looks to finalise his squad for the new campaign. His first-team pool currently contains 31 players and some will be moved on with more new signings expected to arrive in the coming weeks. A right winger is among the current priorities. Hearts have signed the Kazakhstan international winger Islam Chesnokov on a pre-contract agreement. He is due to arrive in November unless a transfer deal can be struck with his club, Tobol Kostanay, but McInnes still wants a right-sided attacker in this window. 'We're still trying to bring in a couple of players in key positions,' he explained. 'In certain areas, we've got more than enough. In defence, we look really strong and have options. We've got size, experience and good athleticism in those areas. I've made it clear I'm looking for a wide-right player, that's no secret. Looking at the players we've got, it's about who can fit into how we want to play. 'I don't think we've got too much to do. I have a lot of good players in the building. It's hard to make quick assessments in a few days. Normally a manager will say it's a clean slate for everyone and I feel the players are facing that. They're trying to show me they have a part to play. But decisions on a few of them will have to be accelerated clearly if I'm bringing another couple in. The squad will then be too heavy, so those conversations will be for Spain and beyond. Right now, everyone has a chance and an opportunity to be here.' McInnes hinted at exits involving younger players. 'We've had a few enquiries about one or two on loan which might be an avenue to free up some space,' he stated. 'Maybe one or two of the younger ones could have that option. I'm calm and safe in the knowledge that I have a lot of good players, but difficult conversations will take place over the next two or three weeks.'
Scotsman
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Three Hearts players win end-of-season awards in the SPFL
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now Tynecastle club see winners out on loan in the SPFL Championship and League Two Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Three Hearts players won Young Player of the Year awards following consistent performances at their respective loan clubs. Midfielders Macaulay Tait and Finlay Pollock plus goalkeeper Liam McFarlane, were recognised by Livingston, Raith Rovers and East Fife respectively for their efforts this season. Tait picked up three trophies at Livingston's end-of-season event despite only arriving on loan from Hearts in January. He was named Coaches Young Player of the Year, sponsored by Glen Turner, Fans' Young Player of the Year, sponsored by Livi Self Storage, and Players' Young Player of the Year, sponsored by Food 2 Go. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The 19-year-old has played 19 times for the West Lothian club and earned plenty praise from manager David Martindale for his composure and intelligence in midfield. He helped Livingston earn a play-off place for a chance to gain promotion to the Premiership, after which he will return to parent club Hearts. Former Hearts players Ryan McGowan and Robbie Muirhead also collected trophies for their efforts at Livingston this season. McGowan won Coaches Player of the Year, sponsored by Home of the Set Fare Arena, for his solid displays in central defence. Muirhead walked off with three awards. The forward got Top Goalscorer, sponsored by Alastair Stables at Pumpherston Autocentre, after 18 goals in 44 appearances so far this season. He also took Goal of the Season, sponsored by Vital Health and Wellbeing, for his stunning free-kick against Ayr United, and finally was named Fans' Player of the Year, sponsored by Coachtraders. What does the future hold for Hearts youngsters? At Raith Rovers, Pollock won the Young Player of the Year trophy, sponsored by Alan Hodge Joiners, after scoring six goals in 25 games in the Scottish Championship. The 20-year-old changed position to play as an attacker at Stark's Park and produced some important goals and assists as Rovers narrowly missed out on a Premiership play-off place. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Pollock is already back at Riccarton after suffering a season-ending hamstring injury against Ayr United last month. He will take time to recover over the summer before Hearts decide what role he might play in their first-team squad next season. McFarlane enjoyed a strong campaign in League Two with East Fife and won the East Fife Supporters Club Young Player of the Year award, sponsored by A&J Developments. The 20-year-old goalkeeper managed 13 clean sheets in 35 outings and will now hope to help East Fife navigate a route through the play-offs into League One before returning to Hearts for pre-season training. All three youngsters are considered potential future first-team players by coaching staff at Riccarton. They were sent on loan to enhance their first-team experience as well as their overall development, and Hearts hope they can join other youth academy graduates in the senior squad. Striker James Wilson, 18, and defender Adam Forrester, 20, have become first-team regulars at Hearts this season and cemented themselves in among the club's established professionals. The long-term aim is for more Riccarton academy pupils to make the transition from youth level to first team. READ MORE: Hearts deal with fan chants
BBC News
02-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Partick Thistle secure play-off as Livi title dream ends
Partick Thistle secured the final promotion play-off spot and extinguished any hopes of Livingston's Scottish Championship title party with a narrow win in West was an own goal by Heart of Midlothian loanee midfielder Macaulay Tait that gave the Jags the deciding goal seven minutes before was a nervousness emanating from the stands with a lot at stake for both sets of supporters and that was definitely finding its way on to the early as the third minute, player-manager Brian Graham was gifted a chance to give Thistle the lead but blasted over from 12 yards with the goal the other end, Robbie Muirhead was clean through on goal after a terrific flick-on by Cristian Montano, but goalkeeper David Mitchell stuck out his left boot to deny the Livingston home side continued to dominate but were hit by a sucker-punch seven minutes before the Megwa fired a cross into the Livingston box that Tait attempted to clear but could only knock the ball beyond his own goalkeeper high into the kept driving forward and Stephen Kelly's effort rebounded off the underside of the crossbar and news filtered through of Falkirk leading Hamilton Accies, the home fans' hopes of a title party were becoming the team kept pushing forward and Lewis Smith had a goalbound effort blocked by McBeth as they laid siege on the Thistle now face Ayr United on Tuesday at Firhill, with the second leg of their quarter-final a week later at Somerset await the winners for the right to face whoever finishes in second bottom spot in the Premiership for a place in next season's top flight. Livingston manager David Martindale: "The result really is irrelevant at this point, because Falkirk went and done the business and we've got to be man enough to congratulate Falkirk. They're up there for a reason, so I take my hat off to them."We had something like 70% possession. They get the goal from an OG. Wee Mac's [Macaulay Tait] unfortunate with the clearance."We've had two or three really good opportunities to get something from the game. The majority game is played in Partick's half. They're holding on for top four at that point. I thought the boys were a wee bit unlucky."Partick Thistle player-manager Brian Graham: "In the last two weeks the team as a whole, the coaching staff, everybody was in it together. The fans were absolutely superb tonight."And we said to the boys before the game that it's up to us whether the league finishes tonight or it carries on. And, for us, it carries on."We got the three points we were looking for - we couldn't come here hoping for a draw. I said that to everybody all week, 'we cannot come here and hope for a draw and think that will be enough'. We got the three points and now it's about recovering and going again Tuesday night."
