Kelty Hearts (Scotland)

Kelty Hearts FC is a Scottish football club formed in 1975 who come from the village of Kelty in Fife. The committee set up the club as an Amateur outfit with the aim of progressing to the Junior non-league football set up.

Beginning life as members the Kirkcaldy & District Amateur Football Association the team moved through the divisions to the top level within four years. Five of the side were signed by Halbeath Juniors, a leading side of the day.

This put the future of the club in doubt, so it was decided to try to move into the Junior fraternity. The 1978-79 season was spent improving their Central Park home and fund raising to enable the club to compete at the higher level.

Former Dunfermline Athletic & Scotland defender Willie Callaghan Snr led a team made up of local lads who struggled on the pitch, but the hard work paid off when Hearts were accepted into the Fife Region of the Scottish Junior FA.

The club was placed in the Fife Junior League for 1980-81 with John Forrester and then Jim Leishman, who would later manage several professional teams, managing the team.

The rest of the decade was spent gradually building under a plethora of managers before the league championship was won under manager Les McLellan in 1990-91. Andy Harrow led the side as they retained the title in 1991-92.

It became three in a row the following campaign with manager’s Danny Hendry and then the returning Harrow looking after the squad. The club were invited to a civic reception to mark the achievement.

Future Scotland international Colin Cameron started his career with Hearts before moving on to Raith Rovers around this period. Future pro’s Alan Combe moved on in 1992 followed by Andy Tod in 1993 from the youth set up at the club.

A fourth Fife league title arrived in 1996-97 followed by a fifth in 1998-99 under joint bosses Rab Morris and Brian Marr who would serve Kelty for six years. 1999 also saw the team reach the Junior Cup final; going down 1-0 to Kilwinning Rangers at Firhill Stadium.

The Fife District League title was won in 2002-03 managed by Craig Robertson and followed by Davie Stewart. The club continued to progress; finishing as runners-up of the SJFA East Region Premier League in 2006-07.

The season under long serving boss Steve Leighton also saw a second final appearance in the Junior Cup. ‘The Jambos’ lost 2-1 to Linlithgow Rose at East End Park, Dunfermline in front of 10,000 fans.

Kelty were promoted to the East Region Super League at the end of the campaign, with skipper Thomas Courts being rewarded with three Scottish Junior caps. The team continued to pick up trophies in knock out competitions while retaining their Super League status.

Hard work continued off the park as the new Social Club opening in 2011. Keith Burgess replaced Leighton with Neil "Cabey" McCabe being named as player of the season and Craig Morrison topping the scoring.

The goals of Connor Courts took Hearts to the highest Super League finish of fifth place in 2011-12; a performance that was repeated the following season. Burgess departed after a poor run of form with Tom Courts becoming player-manager in 2013-14 who helped his side avoid relegation in the play-offs.

Extensive works to Central Park took place with the erection of covered accommodation and floodlights while Courts rebuilt the team. The goals of Stuart Cargill helped Kelty to the East Super League title in 2014-15.

A new artificial playing pitch was installed a few weeks into the 2015-16 campaign meaning playing away from home to begin with as Courts continued to strengthen his squad, who eventually finished as runners-up in the league to Bonnyrigg Rose.

The Hearts team skippered by Shaun Grieg were crowned as Super League champions for a second time in 2016-17 as Cargill continued to bang in the goals. The renamed New Central Park was added to as the club resigned from the Junior FA.

A successful application was made to the Scottish FA as Hearts became the first ‘Senior’ club to represent the village since Blairadam in the early 1880’s. This allowed Kelty to enter the Scottish Cup.

The East of Scotland Football League title was secured at the first attempt in 2017-18 before the club was rocked by the resignation of manager Courts in October 2018 who was replaced by former Scotland skipper, Barry Ferguson.

Kelty finished in third place in 2018-19 as well as enjoying a win over Dalbeattie Star in the Scottish Cup before going out in the second round 3-2 away to Peterhead.

Kelty Hearts will play in the Lowland League in the 2019-20 season.

My visit

Saturday 25th January 2020

I’d read quite about Kelty and the various matches staged at New Central Park through poster Prorege on the Non-League Matters forum. Indeed, he’d been most helpful in his tips for my Scottish trips.

I’d awoken at the Guildhall & Linen Wetherspoons pub and hotel in Dunfermline and taken a quick morning look around the centre of the town before walking up the hill to the bus station to board the number 7B bus.

With a one day West Fife day ticket in hand I took in the views as we headed past the floodlights of East End Park and up into the countryside. It was a bleak enough day, but I imagined it could be particularly bitter at times.

The driver seemed oblivious to me ringing the bell as he continued up Main Street in the former mining town. I scrambled down the stairs and he stopped for me at the Community Centre, apologising and telling me the bell hadn’t sounded.

As it turns out he had done me an inadvertent favour. I entered the grounds at the side of the centre and managed to get some good shots of a most impressive football ground over the fences.

 The far side had the changing rooms and clubhouse along with two covered terrace enclosures. The near side had a new covered seating area. The pitch was 3G with all the surrounds neatly terraced and fenced off.

Professional clubs had used the venue for their under-age games, and I could see why. It was a cared for up to date facility. With time on my hands I walked round onto Bath Street and walked up to the gates where someone had just gone inside.

He’d left the latch off, so I went inside to supplement my photography and to get a view of the seated side before wandering back down Main Street to wait for my next bus towards Halbeath Park & Ride to interchange for Crossgates.

My attention was drawn to a mural on the wall of The Kings pub depicting local champion boxer Connor Law who took his own life at the age of 26. It was a sad reminder of the concerns of mental health and the pressures of modern life.

Kelty struck me as a proud little settlement with a decent community spirit and best of all a thriving local football club who were heading towards the Scottish League.