KELTY HEARTS boss Kevin Thomson wants his players to build on "lots of good stuff" they produced gainst Dundee United in his first competitive game in charge.

The new boss fielded three of his summer signings from the start, with two more appearing from the bench, and despite the defeat he felt there were plenty of positives to take into tomorrow's derby with East Fife.

The Premier Sports TV cameras rolled into New Central Park last Friday for their opening game of the League Cup, sponsored by the broadcaster, against top flight Dundee United.

Managed by former Kelty player and manager Tam Courts, who himself was in charge of his team for the first time competitively, the Tannadice club edged a keenly-contested Group B encounter thanks to Scotland international Lawrence Shankland's late goal.

"They've got good players, a Scotland international playing up front, and I thought the way we handled the occasion, first game of the season, first competitive one, I'm delighted with the boys," Thomson told his club's website.

"They've put a marker down with the fact I've walked into that changing room and they're all disappointed, gutted. That just tells you the type of mentality and the personality we've got in the dressing room, which is brilliant for me and brilliant for the staff.

"We need to build on it. The harsh reality is we're all disappointed; live on the telly, against a Premiership team, we felt as though we could've potentially nicked something out the game but full credit to them, they got their goal.

"It eventually came for them and probably at the other end we just lacked that wee bit of cutting edge, that wee bit of quality in the final third, but it'll come."

Thomson brought on strikers Botti Biabi and Alfredo Agyeman, signed from Stenhousemuir and BSC Glasgow respectively, and believes they will supplement his pool well for their maiden League Two campaign, which kicks off against Cowdenbeath on July 31.

"You're bringing on subs to have a go, attacking subs," he added. "We probably just lacked that cutting edge against a real top team to really put pressure on their backline.

"But overall, I'm delighted. Botti and Alfie have given us a different dimension, Nath (Nathan Austin) is only going to get better. I thought Kal (Kallum Higginbotham) was terrific, Joe Cardle terrific, against good players.

"We've lots to build on, lots of good stuff and we need to keep that going."

Courts, back at Kelty for the first time since his departure in 2018, told Premier Sports: "I wouldn't say it was a vintage performance from both teams but, once again, Lawrence pops up with the winning goal and it was so good to see him scoring a goal in front of our fans again.

"The game panned out probably exactly the way I expected. I've managed this place for a number of years, I know what it's actually like to bring a team here and for other teams to come here and have trouble.

"I thought it was a really good cup tie, played in good spirits and one for the neutral that they probably enjoyed."