The men in maroon are making headlines locally, but across the country it’s McPake who’s stealing the spotlight. He’s the in-form star right now.
Across eight matches, he’s produced two goals and four assists for an increasingly slick Hearts side that’s staking a claim as one of the campaign’s great entertainers.
In the opening half-hour at their rivals’ ground, Hearts were outstanding. McPake—along with fellow Scotland hopeful Calvin Miller—hugged the touchline and repeatedly left full-back Felix Passlack trailing.
He ran the former Borussia Dortmund defender ragged before supplying James Wilson’s opener, a moment former Hearts striker Ryan Stevenson said perfectly showed how troublesome he can be.
“Defenders really struggle against inverted wingers,” Stevenson told Sportsound. “Most look to cut inside, but he’s just as happy to go outside, throw a feint, and use his left.”
“One of his biggest strengths is that you never know which way he’ll go.”
That unpredictability was on show again when McPake strolled through for a superb solo goal—one he was desperate to score in his first derby.
“I thought we started the game really, really well,” McPake told BBC Sport Scotland. “I got the assist in the first half, but I was desperate to get the goal.”