Background

Towards the end of May I was starting to get a bit burnt out with football. Its easy to forget how large the footballing calendar is in a regular season, never mind with a World Cup chucked into the middle of it. However, it has now been a whole 6 weeks since Ross County’s dramatic victory over Partick Thistle ended the 22/23 SPFL campaign and I for one am desperate for Scottish football to return. After taking in a few local pre-season games there is nowhere better to take in competitive football than the League Cup group stages. It supplies an excellent opportunity for supporters to travel to new grounds in unfamiliar territory. First stop for me – Kelty.

The small town of Kelty lies a short journey into Fife and consists of just over 6000 residents. Traditionally, Kelty is an old coal mining town with plenty of evidence of its hard-working and gritty past. Thousands of workers took jobs at the pits in Kelty and helped to build and expand the town to what it is today. This history is commemorated by the Kelty Colliery Memorial in the town centre.

Despite the town being on the smaller side, it of course has a football team to represent it. Formed in 1975, Kelty Hearts set out to bring football back to the streets of the community. Starting out in the Kirkcaldy and District Amateur Football league, Kelty rose to the top of the amateur ranks and decided to turn junior after admission into the Fife Junior League, firstly led by the well-known Jim Leishman.

During their time in the junior ranks, The Maroon Machine established themselves as a force in Fife and the greater east of Scotland area. The 1990s were especially lucrative – winning 5 out of the 10 Fife league titles in the decade. This success also included a whirlwind of success in cup competitions, including the first of two appearances in the Scottish Junior Cup final. Although Kelty fell to Kilwinning Rangers that day, the achievement of reaching the final set a precedent of the direction the club were heading in.

The upward trajectory continued with yet more league titles and another Junior Cup final appearance. The club seemed to be outgrowing their junior status and looked to make their way into the upper echelons of Scottish football. After winning the East Super League in 2017, Kelty sought full SFA membership and a way to eventually become a senior side in the Scottish football pyramid. They succeeded and entered the East of Scotland League. They rampaged to the league title at the first time of asking, winning 23 out of the 24 games available and ending the season with a ridiculous goal difference of +131. The Lowland League would follow next. Kelty spent a mere 3 seasons in the Scottish fifth tier, winning the title twice during the infamous COVID campaigns. Promotion to the SPFL was confirmed with a 3-1 aggregate win over Brechin City in the Pyramid Play-Off.

Since their entry into the SPFL, Kelty’s ascension has continued. The club historically won the League 2 title at the first time of asking under the stewardship of Kevin Thomson and successfully kept their place last season in League 1. The club will no doubt be hoping for continued success in the Scottish 3^rd tier to build on last year’s 8^th place finish. New manager Michael Tidser will be looking to deliver this success in his first full season in charge.

However, before any league action takes place there is the small matter of the League Cup group stages. Kelty take on a visiting Greenock Morton who are fresh from a ‘friendly’ Renfrewshire Derby win over St Mirren. The ‘Ton will prove to be tough opposition for Kelty, but the home support will be looking for a positive performance to set the tone for the 23/24 campaign. I for one am looking forward to seeing how they get on.

Facilities

New Central Park lies right in the centre of town just behind Kelty Primary School. It is accessible from opposite entrances depending on if you are a home or away supporter, but fans are able to wander around all four sides and mingle. We entered at the home end through the maroon layered gates and into the outdoor concourse of NCP. Behind the two covered standing structures lies a wide range of Kelty themed amenities including the club shop, food and drink kiosks and the outstanding social club. Opposite the older structures lies NCP’s main grandstand which looks superb and adds a modern feel to the ground. Behind both goals lie elevated platforms to provide an alternative view. The picturesque setting of the rolling hills behind the away support was unbelievably beautiful. It reminds me of many a junior ground with similar characteristics and is a nod to NCP’s semi-pro past.

It is clear how well maintained and how much care goes into keeping New Central Park looking in top shape. It is a great mix of old and new and suits the club’s stature well. It lies in the centre of Kelty and serves the community incredibly. NCP is genuinely one of my favourite grounds I have visited during my time exploring Scottish football and I feel it deserves a high 4/5.

Atmosphere

Over 600 punters were in attendance for this league cup opener, including a healthy contingent of Morton supporters travelling from the west. Supporters could largely mingle and did so happily, with a friendly atmosphere provided throughout the contest. Most of the Morton faithful positioned themselves behind one of the goals and provided plenty of chants and creative songs (particularly regarding ex-player Tam O’Ware).

It was clear to see how excited people were about competitive football returning for a new season, shown by a decent attendance and the audible roars after each strike hit the back of the net. 3/5.

Quality of the Match

Its perhaps easy to say that League Cup group stage matches can be treated as pre-season games. I’ve never understood this perspective as there is plenty on the line. A good run can result in an excited fanbase, trips to previously unseen stadia and a healthy financial boost. To suggest they are next to meaningless is bizarre to me.

Seeing as how this was the first competitive fixture of the season for both sides, it took a bit of time to feel each other out and gauge tactical fluency. It was great to see tempers flare and a few nasty tackles flying – showing just how much this means to players and management staff alike. Morton’s George Oakley in particular seemed to enjoy chucking himself about to create a bit of agro.

The first real piece of quality didn’t arrive until the 35^th minute, when a lovely diagonal ball was expertly controlled by Steven Boyd, who cut inside and forced a good save at Kyle Gourley’s near-post.

With little happening in the way of chances it took something a wee bit special to break the deadlock. Tiwi Daramola is someone who has made incredible waves in Scottish lower league football – scoring an extraordinary number of goals for Bo’ness Athletic. Making his competitive debut for Kelty, he received the ball just outside the box, danced his way past a couple Morton defenders before slotting the ball into the far corner. Daramola will take a bit of time to adjust to senior football in a physical aspect but there is no doubting his instinctive striker’s qualities. 1-0 Kelty with a minute to the break.

Half Time: Kelty Hearts 1-0 Greenock Morton

Whatever Dougie Imrie said to his players at half-time worked, as it didn’t take Morton long to assert their dominance in the early stages of the second half. The introduction of Jai Quitongo down the visitor’s right side proved to be working. Some excellent work involving Quitongo and Darragh O’Connor resulted in a wonderful cut-back for Steven Boyd who made no mistake from 12 yards. The Championship side were level.

10 minutes later, deja-vu struck. Makeshift left-back Adam Corbett looked to be struggling with the introduction of Quitongo’s pace and quick feet, as the winger cut the ball back to midfielder Robbie Crawford. He managed to slot the ball past Kyle Gourley to complete the turnaround for Morton. The roar from the visiting faithful would be enough to inspire any team to finish the job.

Morton continued pressing in the search of a killer third goal. Striker Robbie Muirhead came close with a free-kick which was well saved by Gourley, leading to a Kelty counter-attack. Kelty attacked with pace, with Craig Johnston being played in behind with only the goalkeeper to beat. However, Ryan Mullen stood tall to deny the home forward the equalising goal.

Morton perhaps should have extended their lead with ten minutes to go. An in-swinging corner to the back post met the head of Jack Baird, who nodded the ball just over the bar. The big centre-back had plenty of space and probably should at least hit the target.

The whole Morton defence would have their hearts in their mouths soon after a Kelty corner was spilled by Mullen. With the goalkeeper in no-man’s-land, Kelty centre-back Jason Thomson performed an acrobatic attempt which thankfully for the visitors was well dealt with on the line.

In the dying seconds, Morton took their opportunity to end the game. A Robbie Crawford corner was poorly dealt with by the Kelty defence, leaving the ball free for veteran defender Kirk Broadfoot to scramble home at the delight of the travelling supporters.

Full Time: Kelty Hearts 1-3 Greenock Morton

Kelty will naturally be disappointed to have let the lead slip after competing so well against higher league opposition. However, there will be some positives to take from the contest. Their midfield three generally looked pretty solid and battled well throughout the game, and with an emerging talent in Tiwi Daramola I reckon they’ll be absolutely fine in League 1 if they were to bring in a few more bodies to provide more options off the bench.

Morton will be delighted to have come back from a goal down and exert their style of play in the first competitive outing of the season. They looked to have signed sensibly throughout the summer window and have plenty of suitable options to bring off the bench if required. I was impressed by Steven Boyd who added a creative spark to the attack and by Jai Quitongo whose pace and dribbling qualities created Morton’s first two goals. Dougie Imrie’s men could have a real chance of finishing in the play-off positions this season.

Overall, I was treated to a battling contest between two teams desperate to get their campaigns off to a positive start, some good goals and a few excellent individual performances. I feel this match deserves a solid 3/5.

Pricing

Tickets for this contest were priced at £14 for an adult. In the general scale of things this doesn’t seem too bad for the level and competition. I feel the game on the pitch was certainly enough to justify the price and as the game moved on the value for money did present itself. It will never compare to the ridiculously good prices at tiers 5 and below but clubs at this level need to sustain themselves somehow. Food and drink prices were also reasonable and its fair to say I had the best macaroni pie I’ve ever had at New Central Park. A genuine work of art. 4/5.

Final Score

Kelty Hearts end the day with a solid final score of 14/20. New Central Park may be a relatively recent addition to the SPFL but I think it might be one of the best, particularly in the lower leagues. It has proven itself to be a welcome addition to Scottish professional football, but it certainly has not forgotten its roots. Kelty Hearts appear to be a club that provide so much to their community, and it comes across in the friendly manner and hospitality of its staff and volunteers. The Kingdom of Fife has many gems inside it, and I believe Kelty Hearts might just be one of them.

– Connor