KELTY HEARTS have made their first move in the January transfer window by snapping up a Premiership defender.

The New Central Park club confirmed last night (Thursday) that Aberdeen defender, Jack Miline, had joined on loan until the end of the season.

The 19-year-old, a graduate of the Pittodrie club's academy, played for Highland League, Brechin City, on a temporary basis last season whilst also playing for the Dons' 'B' side in the SPFL Trust Trophy.

Originally a midfielder before being converted into a centre back, Milne made his first team debut this season in a League Cup group stage match at Peterhead, before making his league bowΒ against Kilmarnock.

He has made four senior apprearances so far and, in July, signed a new three-year deal to tie him to the Reds until the summer of 2025.

Milne follows in the footsteps of fellow Aberdeen players, Connor Barron and Kieran Ngwenya, who both had productive loan spells with Kelty last season.

Two players, however, have left New Central Park, with Heart of Midlothian loanees, Cammy Logan and Scott McGill returning to Tynecastle.

Meanwhile, improvingΒ Β "little by little" will give Kelty the platform to move up the League One table and aim for the promotion play-off places.

That's the view of manager John Potter, who has been encouraged by an upturn in his side's fortunes on the road ahead of returning to their own patch this weekend.

After going on their travels in three of their past four League One outings, collecting seven points in the process, there will be home comforts for the New Central Park outfit on Saturday when they entertain Airdrieonians.

The Diamonds, beaten by an Alfredo Agyeman goal on their last visit to Kelty in October, before turning the tables by the same 1-0 scoreline at the Excelsior Stadium in November, sit fourth, and in the final Championship play-off place, but are just five points above their seventh-placed opponents.

Having lost each of their opening five league games away from home, Potter's team have won three and drawn one of their next six, with the defeat at Airdrie, and at league leaders Dunfermline, their only setbacks in that sequence.

Their victory at Clyde was also achieved after playing more than an hour with 10 men, following a red card issued to Lewis Martin, and Potter told Press Sport this week: "We'd said that our away form had to be better in terms of clean sheets, what we got last week (at Alloa Athletic), and picking up wins and scoring goals, which we managed to get a couple of at the weekend.

"There are slow improvements. I think if we can improve, little by little, then it gives us a better chance of winning games. If we can do that, then we can climb the league.

"It's tight. We've got to try and stay within that group (of teams pushing for the play-offs). It's difficult because they're good teams up there, so every game's hard, but we've got to just keep plugging away, trying to score goals, and hopefully it will do us the world of good."

Saturday's success also extended the gap between Kelty and the second-bottom Bully Wee to 17 points and, when asked if that was another positive, Potter replied: "Of course it is. I always try and look at what's in front of us and who we can try and catch. We managed to climb a league place on Saturday, which is what we want, and it's about looking again and saying, right, who's in front of us now, and how do we catch them?

"The league's difficult. There are no easy games for a club like Kelty; every game's difficult. We're doing OK at the moment, and we've just got to continue doing that."

Meanwhile, Ross Philp has returned to Kelty following a loan spell at Stenhousemuir.

The 30-year-old moved to Ochilview in September and played 12 times for the League Two side, scoring once.