IN a playing career that delivered five league titles, five Scottish Cups, five League Cups and a captain’s appearance in a UEFA Cup final, Barry Ferguson is not shy of honours.
But judging by his demeanour throughout the 6-1 aggregate win that sets up Lowland side Kelty Hearts for a shot at getting into the Scottish Professional Football League, Ferguson may fancy getting into League Two will rank comfortably alongside some of his more notable football achievements.
Ferguson was a vocal and often amusing presence throughout the game as he remonstrated with his own players, opposition players and offered instruction in a manner that can only be described, at best, as direct. It was only when Nathan Austin rounded off his perfect hat-trick just after the hour mark that Ferguson pumped his fists and raised his head to the grey clouds above in a show of satisfaction.
Kelty manager Barry Ferguson
What comes next will be intriguing as Kelty face Brechin City in the League Two play-off final next Tuesday night with the return leg in Brechin four days later. There was vindication in the setting up of the game that was still in doubt only a few weeks ago with Ferguson determined now to make a little bit of history by taking them into the professional set-up.
A hardy but fairly loud band of supporters braved elements that defied the season as they gathered to peer through fences in an attempt to catch glimpses of the game. They would have enjoyed what they watched as they partied from a distance.
For the first half-hour Brora looked like a team determined to haul themselves back into the team but no sooner had Greg Morrison given them a lifeline that they were sunk by the first of Austin’s trio. Dylan Easton rubbed salt in the wound with virtually the last kick of the ball to seal an emphatic win.
Ferguson’s remit when he was given the job in October 2018 by Kelty owner Ian Thomson was to get them into the SPFL. Now that it is within touching distance, he is wary of taking anything for granted. His side have played just 13 games of a fractured campaign and he had only weeks to prepare for the play-off semi-final after more than three months off.
“It was rushed, we had just under three weeks to prepare and I hadn’t seen them for three and a half months,” he said. “But you saw in glimpses what a good team we can be. You can see the difference when you have a guy like Nathan Austin up too who can score goals. He wins you games.
“I don’t care what anybody says, Brechin are a good team. We played them in the Betfred and beat them 2-0 at Glebe Park and a lot of people will look at that but it’s a play-off final, over two legs and they are playing for their lives to stay in the SPFL.
“We want to make a bit of history at Kelty because the journey we have been on over the last 30 months has been unbelievable. We will give it our best shot. In big games here we get 2000 people in.
“Football for me is nothing without fans and we have a great following. We are well supported at this level and it will be great to get 500 fans in.”
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