KH4

Taking the managers one thing, nobody's really bothered about that but if they come for Alfie (or any other key players) that'll diminish the goodwill somewhat, not that they'd care. Agyeman has really progressed in his time with us and is useful up front in a number of different ways. He's a player that could go either way if he plays at a different level, but given his progression so far I wouldn't bet against him being successful in the Championship, if he really kicks on perhaps even further. I'd be disappointed to see him go. He's very popular and usually puts a shift in.

Come on man, no need to shuffle away in a huff. When I say put you out your misery, I meant something along the lines of banning you from Starks Park for the rest of your life, or something trivial like that. Mr McKenzie is a legitimate businessman running a successful conservatory business. Capiche?

Leo suggested you clearly have very little going on in your life. I'd suggest you clearly have very little going on in your head if your moronic mouse droppings on this forum are anything to go by. Being both a social dud and an utter buffoon is a terrible state of affairs to get yourself into. It's little wonder the rest of the Rovers supporters are thoroughly mortified by this lonely end of the pier routine you've been attempting to perform. I hope for your sake Dean McKenzie comes in and finds some way to put you out your misery. I'm not suggesting he takes you out behind the woodshed or anything drastic like that, but you can't go on like this. Everyone deserves some dignity.

Nobody's disappointed that NCP wasn't included in the Euro 2028 bid, the point is there are too many half wits that lack even a basic understanding of the football pyramid.

I mean this with the greatest respect, but I wouldn't imagine that anyone here is even remotely interested in your reservations and concerns about Raiths incoming management team. If any of them are still prepared to give you the time of day, perhaps it's for you and your fellow Rovers fans to figure out how your clubs found itself in the position it's now in. It's ironic that your attempts to diminish our club have only served to highlight what a predicament your clubs in. Imagine if they'd taken the reigns at Dunfermline!!! It would be unthinkable. All levity aside you're fortunate to have a guy thats both professional and capable, and far from just throwing money around he knows how to wring every last drop of out of what he's got to work with. Ive said it before but there's no doubt that Dean's support got us promoted from the Lowland League within a few seasons. It's entirely possible it would have happened anyway, but we were able to avoid the impending and inevitable bottleneck caused by former junior clubs fighting over one play off berth like rats fighting over a urinal cake. Dean's now taken his flying carpet and briefcase full of conservatory money to Kirkcaldy, and I've seen some pretty hysterical commentary about Kelty evaporating upon contact with reality. I think this is either wishful thinking or a demonstration of people being unable to understand basic data. If you look at what Kelty currently have in terms of facilities, structure, potential income sources and level of support, does anyone seriously believe Kelty aren't at least capable of competing in League Two? This season we are 5th in League One for average attendance and we've stunk the place out most weeks. Last season we were top by a comfortable margin and we had roughly double the average attendance of 5 out the other 9 sides. Look back over this thread or search out reviews and experiences from other fans and neutrals who've visited NCP. How many of them are saying "I'll tell you what though, the set up at Kelty is an absolute shambles"? I'm actually really intrigued about what comes next, at least we won't need to listen to people harping on about us being unsustainable because we've surpassed a club that couldn't attract flies with a mouthful of sh*te. No harm to the guy, but I don't think anyone other than Rovers fans are worried about Potter moving on, and when I seen Tidser was getting a crack at it I was genuinely excited. He's exactly the type of character you want in a situation like this and it's an encouraging first decision. Personally, I think the loss of Dean's expertise is more of an issue than the loss of anything else, and what happens next will ultimately depend on how well the new team perform. The reaction from everyone that actually knows who these guys are has been overwhelmingly positive, and rightly or wrongly Kelty supporters appear a bit more optimistic about the immediate and long term future than Rovers fans do just now. For what it's worth, I think both clubs will be absolutely fine.

I think the only thing you're missing is that I'm being performatively obnoxious. For clarity, there isn't an issue. Including only Dunfermline supporters that I personally know, there has been a subtle but noticeable shift in how they discuss Kelty, but that's about the size of it. It's more interesting than anything else. It's possible that my experience as a Kelty supporter is entirely different from yours when discussing Kelty with Pars fans. It's also likely that that my "Barbara Dixon, Jim Leishman, Andrew Carnegie, your boys took a hell of a beating" routine after the goaless draw in August has rubbed people up the wrong way. Im going to be insufferable if we get a decent result next week.

I liked the idea but the material was a bit flat. With a bit of work that could have been amusing.

Bad news folks, Higgys been out for a couple of weeks so you may be unable work through your unresolved trauma. He's such an energetic go-getter that boy, he'll be missed. Cardle will probably come on as a sub, there should be an opportunity to congratulate him on a stellar career as he warms up, unless he hovers around the unfinished bit. Keltys form has been as poor as Clyde's over the past five games. I'd expect a result for Falkirk but at their strongest Kelty are capable of coming away with something. I don't think we'll bring many through but a game under the floodlights in front of what should be a good crowd against a side that not be here next season is quite appealing.

But now we're "rivals" you wouldn't p*ss on us if we burst into flames. I get, that's fine. With friends like these eh?

I don't know enough about how Queens Park are run to speak with any authority as to whether they're "sustainable" but I think your concerns are fairly widely shared, even among supporters of clubs who've been beneficiaries of the old Championship Manager cheatcode. You'll always find a defensive attitude among supporters when people are lining up to tell them that everything that is good and sacred about their club is worthless because some short sighted businessman has got carried away. That doesn't mean they are deluded though. Typically you'll find that accomplishments are seen within the context of having some degree of financial advantage over other clubs at that level. Success is still meaningful for these clubs, but getting by with a little help from your friends is always different from having a productive youth system and a well organised half time raffle. That isn't to say that clubs with backing aren't well run. Money certainly helps but if the driving forces behind a club don't know what they're doing it either won't get off the ground or it'll be very short lived. The idealist in me isn't in love with the idea of a relatively small time businessman spending a relatively small amount of money and catapulting a very small club up the leagues. I don't see anything wrong with it though. If a club is being edged out by a club with a significantly smaller fanbase, the smaller club either has a very generous backer or the bigger clubs on its backside. You don't have to go too far down the pyramid to get to the stage where actually having some money goes a long way, but I don't think you can blame those who actually want to invest in football for that. There are examples I'm comfortable with, and others less so. I don't think we can tar every club with the same lazy brush. Gretna were the worst case scenario - they were one penalty shoot-out away from it being impossible to write a worse example. Non league to cup final in four years and then when the money stopped the whole thing collapsed. Then you have Queens Park, a club with a truly special place in football history playing in a big city with real potential for growth. If you were going to invest money in a small club, they'd be as good a choice as any. As far as Keltys situation goes, I'm intensely relaxed about it. If they ever found themselves in a position that they'd never have reacher without some backing, it may be different. I don't think anyone that knows the club well would come to the conclusion that Kelty in League One is pushing it though. When you look at clubs we've passed along the way, there aren't any we couldn't compete with if we all started from scratch tomorrow. As I mentioned previously, getting out the Lowland League was a sliding doors moment for the club. Unless there's reform that league will become a graveyard for clubs that probably shouldn't be in it, and if I had the money id probably have spent it myself to clear that particular hurdle when we did. Getting out of League Two was also a very sensible move in terms of medium term planning. What happens next is crucial, and will probably determine the context in which our progress up to this point will be seen. In a year or so this Kelty team will look very different, and it's wise that any significant changes are made while we don't have the immediate trapdoor of falling out the league to worry about. One interesting aspect to this season is sentiment towards Kelty from other clubs supporters. If we take Dunfermline as an example, generally speaking the fact that a Fife club was the first ambitious Junior team to go senior was viewed fairly positively. When they realised we were scheduled in for a league fixture, nobody wanted to admit that theyd enjoyed a nice afternoon along at New Central Park anymore.

It's a question you can approach from a number of different perspectives. Just over a decade ago Dunfermline were in the Premier League and Kelty were in the Juniors. If you'd told a Kelty supporter that within 10 years they'd be visiting East End Park for a league game they'd have expected you to drive off in a clown car. That being said there are certain issues and weaknesses within the Scottish game that have given rise to events that on paper seem incredible. Cowdenbeath went from propping up the entire league to being in the same league as Rangers, Hearts and Hibs at the same time. They are now in the Lowland League with Gretna, who's journey from English non league football to where they are now included a detour to the Premier League, the Scottish Cup Final and Europe. Former Highland League clubs have been regular fixtures in the top flight and since Meadowbank became Livingston they've went from the bottom to the top - twice. This season it's looking likely a club that was amatuer in 2019 will achieve its third successive promotion and become a Premier League club. Scottish football really is a funny old game, and that's before you take into account the seismic changes happening below League Two, changes that will slowly change the landscape of Scottish football further in the years ahead. I mention all this because against this backdrop of semi organised chaos, a lot of people expected the sheiks and the oligarchs that were obviously pumping billions into Kelty to strap a rocket to the club and take them beyond the moon and out towards Mars. The reality is that as the only village club in the League it was never and should never have been about that. In my view it was about finding a realistic level that Kelty can comfortably and sustainably compete at, and the truth is I don't think anyone can be certain exactly what that level is. Getting out the Lowland League was bloody difficult and thankfully we got the jump before the floodgates opened. If you've ever seen two obese people trying to get through a small doorway at the same time it'll give you some idea of what that particular journey is going to look like in the years ahead. A lot of people also mistakenly believe that there isn't much daylight between League One and League Two. This definitely isn't the case, the League features big clubs on their uppers from the championship, and for the most part the best of the rest. Personally, this season was about consolidating our place by hook or by crook, and it looks as though it's mission accomplished. The fact that either Clyde or Peterhead look like posting an historically low points total for the 9th placed club has helped ease the pressure, but I'll happily take it. At points the squad has looked a bit stretched, you can use that as an argument for leaving the manager alone or make a case for having someone who can get the best out of what he's got. Personally, I think the squad has got talented players that can compete at this level, whether they've got enough of them to have done any better is another question but that's a judgement call I fully trust the club to make - they've earned that by delivering when and where it matters. Given how mental Scottish Football is it isn't outwith the realm of possibility that we have a decent season and end up in the championship. I don't think that we'll ever be an established championship club, and time will tell whether we survive League One long term. I'll tell you what though, we should throw the kitchen sink at avoiding League Two. There are a number of clubs who's position as a League Club will become increasingly threatened over the next few years and Kelty are by no means out the woods. It's great that we've got that buffer between us and the trapdoor, and ideally I'd like it to stay that way. Next year will be tough, it's possible we won't have those big gates against both Dunfermline and Falkirk, although on the plus side it doesn't look like there are any fallen giants coming down or any unknown upstarts coming up. Nobody will be under any illusions next year, that's for sure.

Frustrating afternoon yesterday. I felt Kelty controlled the game and were definitely the better side, but too often the final ball was squandered with Cardle having his share of over hit balls into the box. It was especially frustrating to see Albion score so soon after our hard fought for (and we'll worked) opener. Forster said after the game it felt like a defeat, but the draw suits us more than Stirling and it maintained our lead. Marching on undefeated was also a positive. Once again Tidser was immense, he's a very reassuring presence in midfield and were lucky to have him. I'm not totally convinced on Finlayson yet, he doesn't look too comfortable going forward. DJ was put in a couple of awkward situations yesterday but he kept his composure and got us out of trouble and his distribution is seldom lacking. Finally, it was a good atmosphere yesterday in front of a decent crowd. Albions fans were the most vocal I've seen in a long time and whilst I would have liked them to go back to Stirling with their coupons tripping them it was good to see visiting supporters in decent numbers.

Having cover at the back will hopefully mean Philps being used in midfield more as I think that's where he's at his best. He's excellent at getting the ball out of our own half into the forward midfield area if we're struggling. I really like Philp but there's stiff competition in midfield now. I'm inclined to trust KTs judgement though.

At the beginning of the season I wasn't sure which way things were going to go, and I said as much on here. We had a new, untested manager, some important players had moved on and we hadn't concluded our business with regards to transfers. I didn't feel we had the depth we'd need to compete and we were a bit light in key areas, in particular defence. It was also too early to tell whether the players we had picked up were of the required standard, for example up front where support and cover for Austin is crucial. The team is now complete and even up to this week we've continued to improve the squad. We've made some quality additions and where perhaps we might have been a bit light previously we now have good options across the squad. I've also had a chance to not only get a good look at Kelty, but the other teams in the league as well. All things considered, I'm as certain as it's possible to be at this stage that we're going to win this league. After the start we've had, anything other than promotion would be disappointing and with the calibre we have we should be expecting to win the league. At the start of the season, I was intensely relaxed about what lay ahead and being honest I would have been happy to accept consolidation. At this stage though we should be looking to win the league and it will be some turn of events if that doesn't happen. With regards to Ferguson, we were top of the Lowland League when he took over and ultimately we didnt win the competition that year. He was given the resources required to win the league and he went on to fulfill that objective. Most Kelty supporters I'd expect would hold him in high regard because he's the man who got us to where we wanted to be and he carried himself well while he was here. As to whether he's a good manager however, it's possibly too early in his career to tell. I believe he's made a mistake in moving on when he did as back to back promotions wouldn't have done his CV any harm. He's gone to a club where success will be difficult to achieve, nobody would be surprised if they got promoted to the Championship and nobody would be surprised if they got relegated to League one. The only way in which his tenure would be considered a real success is if Alloa became an established team in the Championship, but at the moment I don't see that happening. Its not outwith the realm of possibility for Kelty to replace them in League One next year. You'd have to imagine he'd find it difficult to come back from that, so he's taken a big risk.

A very hard fought win yesterday. Kelty controlled the game and were the better team, but Annan made it difficult and as the second half progressed I felt a draw was the most likely result. Barron had an excellent game and he worked extremely hard. Agyeman is improving all the time and is showing real quality and composure when on the ball. Finlayson didn't have a great game, a couple of times we looked a wee bit vulnerable down that flank. He was drawn out of position on occasion and when getting forward his movement wasn't always great. I'm really pleased to have played everyone and still be undefeated, and I've been impressed with what KT has delivered so far. I'm also really encouraged to have the best attendance in League Two, and we're ahead of 7 of the 10 teams in League One also. I did wonder how the lure of League football would play out in a village that's been part of the Junior set up for most of its history, and I wasn't sure whether the jump from Lowland League prices to League Two prices would put people off. Supporters are getting getting behind the team though, and there's a nice, positive atmosphere at NCP on matchdays. If you'd told me 10 years ago that Kelty would be in a League above Cowdenbeath and East Fife, and in the same League as Dunfermline I'd have thought you'd been on the wild mushrooms. As it happens though that scenario is a real possibility.

Really enjoyed the game through in Stenhousemuir. There was a spell in the first half where it looked like Stenhousemuir were edging it and we looked particularly exposed down our right hand side. The home side had some chances but Kelty emerged as the better team, particularly in the second half. There were some good performances today. Delighted to see Alfredo adding to his tally, his best game to date for me. Cardle again was tremendous, I didn't mind that he was willing to take a chance to sneak a goal rather than play the pass on this occasion, I've seen enough of him to know that in a tighter game with few chances his decision making would ensure were not wasting opportunities and he'd maybe look to retain possession rather than going for glory. McNab again showed his versatility and he didn't look at all out of place. He was our best performer at the back today and he looked especially committed and hard working. Given how little we've seen of him prior to this season and due to the fact all his appearances were in midfield last season, his flexible performances in defence have been the most welcome surprise so far this year. Looking back, there's no record of any competitive appearances at left back prior to this season so he deserves credit. The "ultras" were excellent today. Usually if you give bairns a drum and get them all hopped up on fizzy juice and put them in a football ground with their pals it's just a tiresome din. Notwithstanding a couple of songs that maybe weren't age appropriate they were a credit to the club and you could see from how the stewards interacted with them it was all good natured fun. A good day for Kelty all round, especially as given our respective trajectories a big Fife derby against Dunfermline could be on the cards sooner rather than later. 15 years ago Kelty were in the Fife District League while Dunfermline were in the Premier League, appearing in a cup final and playing in Europe. A decade and a half later and Kelty visiting East End Park in the league is a distinct possibility.

If Kelty do end up challenging for promotion I don't expect it to be a one horse race. Ive said as much prior to today, and this match hasn't done anything to convince me otherwise. Most of the games will be tight, and it's optimistic to expect them to grind out results week in, week out. Cowden had opportunities today and if that penalty had went in we may have been looking at a different result. That being said I do think the better team won on the day. Cardle was a solid choice for MOTM and I was surprised to see him get as much space as he did at points once it became apparent he was a threat. I've seen Cardle shine in the opening stages of games only to go a bit quiet after teams have made dealing with him a priority. Biabi looked good when he came on. His appearance and Philp moving into midfield helped us turn momentum back in our favour. Excellent play from the two of them for our goal as well. Really pleased to have seen our first league match, our first win and first Derby as a league club. Cowdenbeath shouldn't have much to worry about this season and I expect them to continue making progress as well. A good advert for football in the Kingdom today.

Kelty have been making a limited number of tickets available at the gate for supporters who don't have the means to purchase one online. There are home and away tickets still available on the fanbase app. It's very easy to use so I'd encourage anyone thinking of heading along to purchase tickets online to ensure they get in. After the signing of O'Ware yesterday, I think our squad is set perfectly for the season ahead. Ideally, I'd have liked to have seen Biabi and Agyeman get some more minutes to settle in but we we're possibly a victim of our own success in the cup as there was something to play for right up until full time at our last game. If our chances of progression ended sooner we might have had more scope to introduce some of our new/fringe players for longer. I'm genuinely excited about tomorrow. When you're a small non league club, there are certain occasions that feel like a big deal, particularly those involving league clubs, or former league clubs. Whilst being a relatively small team in world football terms, I did look forward to the first time East Stirling visited NCP in the Lowland League. It's the same with teams we've faced in cup competitions. I didn't see them as lower league minnows with small followings, but teams at a higher level than mine, with grounds I've always wanted to visit and dedicated, loyal supporters many of whom work extremely hard to keep their clubs going. I don't want to get all "jumpers for goalposts" but getting to play these historic institutions on a weekly basis is big for a club like Kelty and the village. I think I'm right in saying it's the smallest place with a league club in the country but I'm happy to be corrected on that. I've probably spent more time thinking about the fact that Fife now has 5 league clubs than I have about the result tomorrow, but with the greatest of respect to Cowdenbeath I'm expecting a comfortable win for Kelty. I will though be hoping that Cowdenbeath do well this season.

Excellent news, really pleased with this. Our defence was the one area of our squad that I thought needed attention. The players we have on the books are certainly capable but we were just lacking that wee bit of depth and this signing goes some way to addressing that. Not only is he a high quality signing but he will also allow more scope for Hooper to play at RB when fit. I've been more than impressed with Peggie on the left, so our defence is looking in great shape heading into the new season.

Among first team players that have featured during pre season and that are likely to be playing week in week out, the average age is 27. Only DJ, Tidser, Cardle, Higgy and Hill are 30 and above. Age wise its a decent spread with some quality, experienced players and a large group who are at various stages of their 20s. At this level and with this team I don't think age is likely to be a factor, but it can be an issue in some instances where youve got an older squad playing in a league that predominantly features younger squads. Inter Miami are a good example of this at the moment. Cardle clearly has some quality about him still but I have noticed that the further into a game he goes, the less involved he becomes. He still impacts the game and he doesn't go missing altogether, but I've felt that there's a bit of a drop off and he doesn't quite catch the eye in the same way he would earlier in the game. I'm OK with that as long as he's being used properly. Tidser looks as effective at 85 minutes as he does at kick off and Higgy has a lot of energy throughout. All things considered I don't expect age to adversely impact us. I wonder what our chances are of getting someone else in at the back before business is wrapped up? Scobbie, Boyle and Reid have moved on and Forster has signed. Blacks also joined and is an option but didn't put in a great performance at RB on Saturday. That gives us Peggie, Hill, Forster, Hooper with McNab, Philp and Black also capable. I wouldn't mind another option there either as competition for places or as back up.

No trains go through Kelty, so if using public transport, it'll be bus. I'd recommend a bus from Buchanan Street to Dunfermline. From there it'll be easy to catch a bus from Dunfermline bus station to Kelty. Google East of Scotland Stagecoach, both services you'll need are run by them and work out timing etc. You'll be able to get a bus going back the way at that time as well. The ground isn't well signposted in the village but anyone will be able to tell you we're it is, it's fairly central.

I can only imagine why you've decided to approach this in such an impolite way. It looks to me like you're genuinely struggling to process multiple strands of a concept at anyone time. That'll be why almost everything ends up with a muesli splattered " aye but some guys paying championship wages". I'm talking specifically about my expectations for the forthcoming season based on the football I've been watching, and even at that you've decided to completely ignore what I actually said so you could have your wee "it's not fair" moment. Well seeing Cowden have run out of whatever rocket fuel it was that helped to propel them to the Championship just a few years ago. At no point did I say I expected Kelty to finish bottom, or near the bottom, only that Id be happy as long as we dont finish last. I've not seen enough of the squad to determine whether promotion is the most likely outcome for this season, however I expect us to be there or thereabouts. Overall the squad isn't better than it was last year and the two games against Brechin were difficult, hard fought and competitive. Irrespective of budget, anyone certain that a young, inexperienced manager will blow the league away hasn't seen as much of the team over the past few months as I have. It is however a possibility, but there are too many uncertainties to be over confident. I'm intensely relaxed about how the club is funded and the wage structure. It is GREAT fun going every week which is good because a lot of fans at this level don't seem to be enjoying it and seem devoid of hope that things will ever improve. I'm not worried about any impending collapse, although the worst case scenario of Cowdenbeath being my local club should be keeping me up at night.

I don't believe that Kelty are obvious winners with the squad as it is. I reckon we'll certainly be very competitive and will be at the business end of the table at the end of the season, but at the moment I've got a couple of question marks over some of the players who'll likely feature over the season with regards to our chances of promotion. It's important to note that these are only question marks at this stage, and that this is largely based on games played against teams who are above the level we'll be competing at. There's every chance that I'll be 100% happy with the squad once we start competing week in week out against League Two clubs, which is what we should have been building towards. At the same time though, once inevitable injuries, suspensions and unforeseen departures impact our preferred 11 the squad might start to look a bit makeshift, but every club at this level is in the same boat. I'm not concerned about a long hard season, as long as we don't finish bottom I'll be happy. In recent history over the course of our time in the EOS and Lowland League (and beyond) there's been a winning mentality and progression will come with lows. As long as the club and team hasn't went backwards, if we do suddenly find ourselves struggling either this season or beyond we'll have been successful in finding our level and for me, that's a big part of the journey we've been on. I can genuinely say though that each week has been an exciting step into new, uncharted territory, and I'm just happy to be a small part of it.

Kelty - Home game against Dundee United was home supporters only however a sizable number of away fans not wearing colours were in attendance and supported the team without any issues. At the game against East Fife, away fans were allowed and had a designated section. With the upcoming game against Cowdenbeath, Away fans again are allowed and have their own section. Looking like Kelty will be accommodating away fans for the foreseeable.

I was massively disappointed with how things turned out yesterday due to the fact we were two goals up, and because of the nature of some of the goals we lost, but overall its fair to say the better team won. Blacks "assist" for Arbroath first goal was poor, and I agree with KT when he said we weren't streetwise enough, that much is clear from the quick free kick. Arbroath dominated for large periods though and at halftime you could see it coming. The balance had swung in Arbroath favour after their first and we weren't going to withstand their attacking play for long. I'm not sure if Kelty lost a step after Arbroaths first or whether Arbroath switched on, possibly a bit of both. That spell in the second half when Kelty didn't trouble the Arbroath box tells me it was on balance a fair result, despite a couple of refereeing interventions that didn't go our way. I think the squad looks mostly set but I'm very keen to see some additions at the back before we finalise business. I didn't enjoy Black's performance at RB, and across the back I fear we've regressed a bit from last season. Aside from that, I'm happy with the squad but would like to see Biabi and Alfredo get some proper minutes in to get them settled.