Tam O'Ware has welcomed the return of Callum Flatman from injury after declaring him one of Kelty Hearts' "biggest misses" last term.
The 22-year-old has returned to training at the start of the club's pre-season preparations after missing the entirety of the previous campaign.
Former Heart of Midlothian centre back Flatman suffered a cruciate ligament injury that has kept him out for almost a year.
He arrived at New Central Park in the summer of 2024 after leaving the Tynecastle club, whose under-18 he captained, before stepping up to their 'B' team.
Flatman, who had a loan spell with Edinburgh City in the season before he signed for Kelty, enjoyed an outstanding debut campaign with the Maroon Machine.
He made 38 appearances in all competitions, helping them to a sixth place finish in League One, and netted a memorable winner over top flight Hibernian in a Premier Sports Cup group stage match.
His consistency saw him pick up the 'man of the match award' at the club's end of season prize giving ceremony, and spoke of his belief that he was in the "form of my life for a bit" at the beginning of that campaign.
Flatman referenced injury issues in previous seasons, but stated that he hoped to "to have a bigger role in the team", having enjoyed the game time that he moved to Kelty in search of.
However, he was robbed of it last season due to an innocuous injury sustained in training, and he was one of several key players unavailable to O'Ware throughout, as his side fought an unsuccessful battle against the drop.
The manager, however, is delighted to have him back, and has highlighted the effort that the player has put in to ensuring a successful return from such a serious injury.
"Flatman's probably one of the biggest misses that we had last season," O'Ware told Kelty Hearts TV.
"He came in the season before and he was excellent.
"Playing alongside him was a privilege. It was a joy to have somebody like him next to me, and it was unfortunate.
"Again, the first session, it wasn't a tackle, it was just a very obscure injury to which he thought was fine.
"It was a surprise to everybody when it came back that his cruciate had gone.
"His rehab's been good. I know how hard he's worked to get back."
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