Goalkeeper Josh Rae signs for Saints

We are delighted to confirm the signing of goalkeeper Josh Rae on a two-year deal until the summer of 2026.

Josh, who came through the ranks at Celtic and Leeds United, has most recently been playing his football with Championship club Airdrieonians.

The 23-year-old was between the posts for Airdrieonians when we played against them in the Scottish Cup last season.

After signing his deal at McDiarmid Park, Josh said: “It’s been a dream to play in the Premiership and hopefully I can play as many games as possible.

“My main aim is to do well for this club and help us move forward. At every level, I’ve tried to do my best and work my way up. I now feel ready to take on this challenge.”

Josh, who has also spent time at Peterhead and Queen of the South, feels he has continually added more strings to his goalkeeping bow.

“I feel I did well at Airdrieonians,” he said. “We were playing out from the back constantly and we managed to get a promotion and then the cup last season.

“I like to dominate my box and help the defenders out as much as possible. I’ve worked a lot on playing out from the back and I feel I am continuing to get better with that.”

Josh will meet up with his new team-mates next week when the squad returns for the beginning of pre-season training.

He smiled: “I’m looking forward to next week and meeting all of the boys. Then it will be about putting in the hard work and taking it from there.”

Goalkeeping coach Craig Hinchliffe said: “Josh is someone I’ve known and admired for the past couple of years.

“He is coming to us after a good couple of seasons with Airdrieonians and was playing in a successful team. He was a big part of it.

“He has done well in all of the lower leagues and I feel the time is now right for him to step up. He is someone who can come in and really complement the goalkeeping group we’ve got.”