Kelty Hearts: Tam O'Ware to leave for Queen's Park role

Press Sport can reveal that the former Greenock Morton and Partick Thistle centre back has played his last game in maroon after it was announced he would assist Paul Nuijten at the Championship Spiders.

O'Ware, 30, had been combining his role as a Kelty player, having signed a contract extension in the summer, with that of head coach with Young Queen's Park.

He has been out of action through injury since September 30, sustained in a home win over Queen of the South, which looks to be his final appearance for the club.

"An opportunity's come up for him. I just had an honest conversation with him," Kelty player / manager, Michael Tidser, revealed to Press Sport.

"Obviously, Tam's a friend of mine. I've known him a long time, and I just think it's too good an opportunity for him to turn down. We had honest conversations with each other, and he's taken the opportunity up.

"Tam's been a good servant to the club. He was part of the title-winning team a couple of years ago, so he'll have fond memories at Kelty. This is football, these things happen.

"Maybe it's something we need to look into going into January as well, in terms of getting a bit of strength and depth in that area."

Signed for the club by Kevin Thomson, in the summer of 2021 after leaving Thistle, O'Ware played 31 games in all competitions as Kelty won the League Two title in their first season as an SPFL club.

Last season, he continued to be a key player under John Potter, who took over after Thomson's resignation, to help the club consolidate in League One, before agreeing a contract extension in the close season.

Tidser was handed the manager's position following Potter's move to Raith Rovers, and O'Ware was handed the captain's armband.

However, after Queen's Park parted ways with their head coach, Robin Veldman, following a defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle on December 9, the Glasgow outfit released a statement last Thursday announcing Nuijten "will lead the men's first team for our cinch Championship games".

It added: "Paul will be assisted by Young Queen’s Park head coach Thomas O’Ware, who is already well-known to the players, and supported by Charley King from our academy."

Tidser, who said that Reece Lyon has been appointed as club captain, with Jason Thomson taking up the vice-captaincy, continued: "I wouldn't stand in anybody's way.

"I've said that to all the players, whether you're captain or whether you're younger, if you come through, do well and the opportunity arises, it's up to you to work hard and try and earn your crust, I suppose.

"Tam loves his coaching. We've had these conversations at the start of the season, we've had it during the season, and, ultimately, it's came to it now.

"It's one of those ones where it's a good opportunity for him to get into that side of the game, and we'll see what happens in the future with Tam in terms of playing. I'm not sure what he's going to do, but I'm sure he'll cross that bridge when he comes to it.

"I spoke to him on the phone for 45 minutes the other day and everything's fine. There's no hard feelings; that's just football. I'm sure if the shoe was on the other foot, he would understand it.

"That's just the way it works, but we move on."