KELTY HEARTS have bolstered their squad ahead of tomorrow's home clash with Annan Athletic by snapping up St Mirren defender Daniel Finlayson.

The 20-year-old, who is a Northern Ireland under-21 international, has joined the League Two leaders on a season-long loan.

Finlayson came through the youth ranks at Rangers - where current New Central Park boss, Kevin Thomson, worked as an academy coach previously - and spent time on loan with the Ibrox club's USL Championship partner club, Orange County, last year.

In October 2020, it was announced that he had joined Jim Goodwin's Saints on loan until the end of the 2020/21 campaign, before joining the Buddies on a permanent deal.

Finlayson could make his Kelty debut against Annan, in what is a top versus third clash at New Central Park.

After agreeing the deal, Finlayson told Kelty's club TV channel: "I spoke to the gaffer over the last couple of days trying to get it sorted, and it's brilliant to be here.

"I'm just delighted to be back playing games with the chance of, with a good team, to do something good this season.

"I spent quite a lot of time, in my days at Rangers with him (Thomson), in the youth academy, so I've got a really good working relationship with Kev.

"A big factor that I'm here is because of Kev."

Meanwhile, talisman Nathan Austin has been praised for his red-hot scoring form but Kevin McDonald is also making a case for the Kelty Hearts defence.

The New Central Park number two singled out Thomas O’Ware for particular praise, hailing the centre back as “colossal” in helping them keep four League Two shut-outs in eight matches so far.

After leaving Partick Thistle in the summer, the 28-year-old – who spent three years at Firhill after starting out with Greenock Morton – has featured in each of Kelty’s league fixtures, with Kevin Thomson’s table-toppers only conceding five.

With a miserly record of just one goal going in against them on home turf, ahead of Annan's visit, McDonald was keen to highlight the team’s defensive work as well as that in attack, which has yielded 17 goals.

Austin, who grabbed the winner against Stranraer at the weekend, has scored six of those – with four more having been netted in the League Cup group stage – and McDonald enthused: “That’s four in his last two, but I think he’s got 10 for the season already in all competitions.

“He’s a massive goal threat, so it’s nice when you’ve got somebody up front that can put the ball in the net.

“We came in (during the summer) and he was already injured. He had a hamstring injury, then he picked up an ankle injury, and then he got COVID, so he has had a bit of a stop-start since we came in. But that’s two games he’s played on the bounce. Long may it continue.

“We have got good firepower. To be honest with you, we’ve been a bit unlucky in terms of the injuries and stuff because Alfie (Alfredo Agyeman) got in the team and then he had the concussion situation where he had to miss a game when he got himself in the team and scored a couple at Stenhousemuir.

Botti (Biabi) is another one who got in the team away to Stirling Albion, where we won 3-1, and then he picked up a hamstring injury away to Forfar, and then he was at his brother’s wedding, so we seem to have had a bit of a weird one to be honest.But, look, we obviously have good replacements. If one of them’s been injured, the other one’s popped up with goals, so that’s been pleasing.”

At the other end of the pitch, McDonald continued: “I think the biggest problem has been probably giving away penalties more than conceding goals from open play. I think we’ve conceded five or six penalties and that’s been the way we’ve been conceding the goals as well.

“Having clean sheets is a base to build off, so it’s massive for the goalkeeper and the defenders more than anything.

“Tam O’Ware’s been a massive part of that. He’s been colossal since he came in.

“We signed him from Partick Thistle, where he’d been a full-time football player, but he’s been unbelievable since he came in. He’s been the mainstay in the back four since he came in as well, so he’s been a massive plus.

“He shouldn’t really play in League Two if I’m being totally honest with you. We’ve got lucky with it because of what he wants to do with his career outwith football, he wants to start coaching and things, so part-time football football suited him.

“When you’re part-time, the biggest thing you want is you want to enjoy your football. Hopefully the style of play that we’ve got, and who we are as people, being young enough and relatable, has helped attract them. as well as the club being a family-run type club.”