AMBITION, a good infrastructure and a supportive committee were the ingredients that helped Kevin Thomson decide to become manager of Kelty Hearts.

Now, on the eve of the club’s historic season in the SPFL, he is looking forward to mixing them all together to try and continue their recent success and make the village proud.

Thomson, 36, left his role at Rangers academy – he played for the Light Blues as well as Hibernian, Middlesbrough and Dundee – at the end of May to succeed Barry Ferguson, who departed to take over League One Alloa Athletic.

Fergie guided Kelty into the SPFL for the first time in their history following victory over Brechin City in the League Two play-off final, achieved after the ‘Maroon Machine’ were declared Lowland League champions on a points-per-game average after the season was cut short due to COVID-19.

Brora Rangers were despatched before the historic win over Brechin.

Before their maiden SPFL League Two game – a mouthwatering home derby with Cowdenbeath – on July 31, Thomson’s side begin their Premier Sports Cup, Group B campaign at home to Dundee United tonight, who will be led by their former boss, Thomas Courts.

In an exclusive, wide-ranging chat with Times Sport following his appointment, Thomson explained that management was something that he had always targeted, but felt working in an academy environment first would be beneficial in the long-term.

He admitted that leaving Rangers wasn’t easy and said: “I feel like I’ve let a lot of the boys down in the academy that have confided in me and I’ve spent a lot of time with.

“I’ve seen their journeys, but the harsh reality is I’ve got my own journey. I left there with brilliant relationships still intact; I’ve got an amazing rapport with the fans. As an ex-player, sometimes if you conduct yourself in the wrong manner, being an ex-player can sometimes put you in a bit of soapy water, but I like to think I’ve been meticulous in representing the club to the best of standards.

“I’d like to think I’ll always be welcomed back, which is nice and humbling for me, but ultimately I’ve got a job to do here at Kelty Hearts and I’m buzzing for it.”

When asked what attracted him to Kelty, Thomson replied: “They’re ambitious, the facilities, they have the infrastructure in place, a good squad in place, good backing, a good committee.

“Barry and Bob (Malcolm) have put the club on the map, the backing from Dean (McKenzie, general manager) too. There’s an opportunity for a young manager to get an opportunity to try and start on my journey.

“I think I’m going to be unbelievably backed, and I think the support from the town will be there for us and all the boys, so what better place could you start?

“Even just how the ground’s developed, the pitch and the level of player they’ve managed to command. That’s what being successful is; you always try to move forward.

“They’re on the front foot. They’re creative, they’re aggressive, they want to get to where they want to get to and hopefully we can put a team on the pitch that the town can be really proud of.

“They had a really competitive squad but I think I’d be naive to think we didn’t want to put our own stamp on it. We wanted to try and look at the market to see what players are available.”

From last season’s squad, captain Michael Tidser, playmaker Kallum Higginbotham, talismanic striker Nathan Austin, goalkeepers Darren Jamieson and Josh Donaldson, defender Scott Hooper and midfielder Thomas Reilly all signed new contracts.

They have, however, lost Dylan Easton, who joined Airdrieonians, as well as Paddy Boyle, Jamie Stevenson, Tam Scobbie, Matty Flynn, Craig Reid and Andy Rodgers, but Thomson has been busy in the transfer market.

Marquee signings in the shape of ex-Dundee and Hibernian defender Jordon Forster, and former Pars winger, Joe Cardle, were the first to arrive, and they have been followed by ex-Rangers midfielder, Jamie Barjonas; Edinburgh City’s defensive midfielder, Andrew Black; ex-East Stirlingshire left back, Reis Peggie; and striker Alfredo Agyeman, formerly of BSC Glasgow, Queen’s Park and Motherwell.

“I have the utmost respect for Barry and Bob,” Thomson continued. “I obviously played with Baz for a long time, but his contact list is different to my contact list. We’ve just tried to be creative to see what’s out there. I’ve got the utmost respect for every player that was here but, at the same time, we want to try and build on that and bring a freshness to hopefully kick on to the next level.

“The calibre speaks for itself, the type of players that we’re trying to attract. Jordon was a young boy breaking through at Hibs when I was a first team player there, so I’ve spent a long time with that young group – (Alex) Harris, (Paul) Hanlon, Forster.

“I know what kind of boy he is, so it was an easy one. There was a good luck message message from him to me, to then asking where he was at and what he was doing. Joe was the same.

“It needs to work for us, it needs to work for them to see if they can handle this level, it needs to work for me to see if I think they can be part of our team, and then ultimately we need to go to Dean and see if it can work financially.”

When asked about his aspirations and what brand of football he wants his team to play, Thomson commented: “It’s a new challenge, it’s a new league, the first time in the club’s history. Teams that have been there have tested the water, know what it’s like and have been round the block, so we can’t be naive.

“There certainly will be no fancy words coming from my camp. We’ll work hard, we’ll give the boys a good pre-season – I’m a real, high demander, with real high standards, and I was the same when I was a player – and me and Geordie (Kevin McDonald, Thomson’s assistant) need to create an environment where the boys look forward to come to training. But, by God, they’re going to work hard.

“I’ve looked every one of them in the eye and said if you want to be part of this team, you need to be all in, because we’re all in and let’s see where it takes us.

“Our team will have personality and it will work hard. I ain’t this philosopher that’s going to tell you we’re going to do X, Y or Z because we need to adapt through the leagues, the opposition we play, how we dominate the ball, if we need to sit in.

“There are going to be different hurdles and different expectations.”

Fans will be allowed back into New Central Park and he said: “It’s been a shame for any football supporter not to back their club, whether you’re a Kelty Hearts supporter or somebody else.

“For us, to hopefully be on the path to recovery for getting fans in and getting the place rocking, it means our challenge is to make sure that when the fans come through the turnstiles, they come through to watch an exciting, energetic, hard-working Kelty Hearts team.

“Time will tell. Let’s give it a good go and see where it takes us.”