In early June 2016, doubtlessly in a pique of boredom I decided to go and have a look at New Central Park, home at that particular time to Junior side Kelty Hearts. I used to work beside a Fife chap, Gordy, who, if he wasn’t at the San Starko, would frequent the Junior grounds in his area. I always recall his comments as to the progression at Kelty regarding the loss of a serious slope at the venue. It was perhaps the catalyst for things to come.
Linlinthgow Rose were in town in 2016, a more famous Junior name from my limited experience of that code. Indeed, my first, or second ever Junior game was a Junior Cup Final no less in the early ‘80’s at Ibrox, when East Kilbride Thistle (the real EK team) beat Bo’ness United. What I hadn’t appreciated that June afternoon was, this would be Kelty’s last ever Junior fixture. From 2016/17, they were jumping across to the Seniors, and doing it a season ahead of the first tranche of fellow escapees. This upper mid-table joust would end 1-1, and Kelty were off to the East of Scotland League, a struggling wee affair given the Lowland League had stripped the majority of quality sides from its roster.
By Scottish Groundhop 2018, promotion was available from the East of Scotland League to the Lowland, and Kelty or Hutchison Vale were the only likely winners. The hop watched Kelty murder the original Scottish-English non league side, Tweedmouth Rangers, 11-1. Kelty got the better of HV and entered a play off with South winners Threave Rovers. I went down to Castle Douglas for the first leg, and the Fifers scored 4 second half goals to kill it 4-0. Post Cowdenbeath surviving a relegation play off from the league with Cove, rather controversially, I managed to get from Central Park to New Central Park for the second half of the return leg. Kelty led 6-0 at the break, and didn’t add any more goals sadly while I was watching. It was just all too easy. They were ready to take the Lowland League by storm.
A pre-season tournament ahead of Lowland life, where near neighbours Thornton Hibs were put to the sword ahead of my arrival, with Brora v Clydebank being the main attraction. The Bankies, now on their own crusade up the tree, would lose this thoroughly entertaining tussle 2-1. I didn’t bother going back for the finals day, I had seen what I wanted to see.
However, I was back a week later, when Kelty debuted in the Lowland League in a very entertaining 2-2 draw with Dalbeattie Star. A month later, the Fife Hearts were held 2-2 again versus Edinburgh University, mere suggestions thay they were getting used to a tier higher. It didn’t take long, indeed, towards the end of 2018 I would visit another three times, slapping hapless Edinburgh United 8-0 in a cup match, before seeing off Lowland stalwarts the CSS 4-0, and a much greater challenge The Spartans, which ended 1-1. Oddly, I was never back that season, perhaps as the season fell flat for Kelty.
There would be a trio of treks in the opening months of 2019, when in late August The Spartans were thrashed 5-0. Ten days later memory match 1 was played
1/ Saturday 7th September 2019
Kelty Hearts 1-1 Solihull Moors (2-4 pens)
The Scottish Challenge Cup for a few seasons had 2 entrants from the other home nations and the Republic of Ireland. Two non-league sides from Scotland and England met here with a cracking crowd enjoying a sunny afternoon and an entertaining joust, with little between the sides. It ultimately went to a penalty shootout to progress, with the Moors edging it 4-2.
A few days later, an even bigger crowd and the BBC TV cameras were at New Central Park for a Scottish Cup tie between the Lowland leaders and the doyen of Junior arrogance Auckinleck Talbot. Unfortunately, the west coast ramble rousers won comfortably, doubtlessly giving them added weight and credence to the notion that the Junior elite were a superior bunch.
Kelty dusted themselves down and in February 2020, just as the world was starting to get peculiar, they hosted Bonnyrigg Rose, who had worked their way through the maelstrom of a burgeoning East of Scotland league, with many a Junior in the East having abandoned.
2/ Saturday 29th February 2020
Kelty Hearts 3-2 Bonnyrigg Rose
Just days before football came to a halt, Kelty won a crucial game in front of the biggest Lowland at the time of 1,510. Both teams served up an absolutely great match with Hearts winning a 5 goal thriller 3-2. It cemented their place at the top, just as football was halted. It would be my last match at NCP for two years.
By February 2022, Kelty had stepped into the Scottish League, playing and seeing off Brechin City in front of limited numbers, despite the Angus club trying everything to avoid playing the games. Elgin were the reason I headed back across, and the new boys, who would shoot through League Two easily won 4-0.
In July 2022 Inverness would play at Kelty for the first time in the League Cup. While we only won 1-0, the hosts rarely had a sniff. Kelty would become a name in the vanguard of the demise of ICT, whose hideous mis-management would see a desperate club suggesting using Kelty as our training facilities. The outcry from this news eventually saw us dragged through Administration, where ultimately only those obsessed with Battery Farms and concerts got their fingers caught in the cookie jar, and had to write off a fortune.
Two years on again, just ahead of the declaration of Administration and points deduction, we were back on league business having given up our Championship status, as we had our Premiership place, based on crucial penalty misses at the sharp end of both seasons. All 4 misses were by Billy MacKay! This league encounter would be a tame 0-0. Elgin would lose here again in the Challenge Cup a couple of weeks later, before a pre-christmas trip across the water for the memory match 3.
3/ Tuesday 17th December 2024
Kelty Hearts 3-2 Arbroath
This was practically a top of the table clash and neither were going to let the other dominate. With a cracking away following, the Lichties clawed a one goal deficit back to lead, and then wilted under intense Kelty pressure who scored two crackers to win.
The Kelty boss would be lured to Dunfermline for a short disastrous spell, but my last game at New Central saw Charlie Mulgrew take the reigns (again briefly) for the first time against Annan. I was across to watch this early February clash, as ICT were on the charge and a home win or draw, coupled by our own win at Montrose (it would be late and dramatic, coming from two down) would see us out of the bottom two. It was a day that didn’t quite go to plan. It all seemed fine at half-time, with Kelty leading 1-0. Annan turned the screw and deservedly won 3-1, in a rancid run of matches for Mulgrew and Kelty, who slipped close to the drop zone by season’s end.
So, my 22nd match at Kelty tomorrow sees the start of 2025/26 with minus five points ICT starting, what feels like a more optimistic campaign. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out ahead of another first, a league encounter, with Peterhead, who come calling to Inverness the week after.
The next 1,2,3 will be Darlington at the end of August! Elgin could have featured and will yet, but time is against me ahead of the glorious 12th encounter. Montrose has only ever been visited a handful of times. Monopoli might be the one after that!
Football Adventures with James Rendall 