KELTY HEARTS say that Barry Ferguson "ticks all the right boxes" after appointing him as their new manager.

The New Central Park club moved swiftly to replace Thomas Courts, who resigned after five years in charge last week, by installing the former Rangers and Scotland captain on Thursday.

He, alongside assistant Bob Malcolm, will take charge on Tuesday, with coaches Murray McDowell and Dave McNeely taking the team once more for this afternoon's Scottish Cup tie at Peterhead.

The Lowland League leaders praised Ferguson as a "perfect fit" for them, and urged supporters "current or new" to give the club their backing, starting at Balmoor.

In a statement released following his appointment, the club said: "Barry ticks all the right boxes for us; he's young, hungry, and motivated with a real desire to be successful.

"It’s well known within the game his coaching is first class, being a UEFA Pro Licence coach, and evidently he has a track record of being a respected leader both in playing and coaching terms.

"With the support he will get in and around the football club, we genuinely feel he is the perfect fit for Kelty Hearts, and we also feel we are a good fit for Barry at this stage in his management career.

"With Thomas leaving the club last week, we knew we had to act quickly for the good of the club and our squad of players. With two big cup games on the horizon and two important home league games to follow, it was vital we did so.

"We contacted Barry on Friday, had a good chat and met him on Sunday. The meeting went well and with regular contact over the last few days, we can now officially welcome him to New Central Park.

"Barry has signed a contract for two years, and he’s here to work hard, to try to improve on whats in place and, in turn, hopefully be successful.

"We feel we can support and provide him with the platform to achieve that and we strongly feel Barry is the man to lead this club to progress further as a senior club."

Kelty continued: "The club started the season with a five year plan which is very much on course, and we feel the appointment of Barry will help us further the significant progress already made by the club.

"We are totally aligned with the new manager in that there is nothing broken; there will be no sweeping changes. Coaches Murray McDowell and Dave McNeely, who have been brilliant for the club, will continue in their roles and will work alongside Barry and Bob Malcolm.

"The club will always look to improve where we can whether that’s on or off the pitch, with the Community Club working with Stefan & Craig, or with the talented squad of Under 20 players who are being expertly led and coached by Craig, Lee & Steven."

Courts' contribution as a player and manager, which spanned 12 years over two spells, was recognised, as they added: "We would like to thank Thomas Courts for his dedicated work and commitment to the club as both player and manager over the years, and the fact there will be no big changes is a testament to Thomas’s work at the club.

"We are indebted to our coaches Murray McDowell and Dave McNeely, and our senior players, who stepped up to look after team over the past 10 days and will continue to do so for the big match on Saturday at Peterhead. We would like to give big thanks to them all for being there when needed and for their excellent efforts.

"There’s a real buzz around New Central Park and within the local area, which is always welcome, however we mustn’t lose sight of the most important thing for us, which is striving to improve and winning football matches. 

"Our new management team will begin their roles fully on Tuesday as they take their first training session.

"We would like to welcome them to the club and would urge all our supporters, current or new, to get right behind Barry, the staff and the boys starting on Saturday at Peterhead."