HE MIGHT think he needs to work on his goal celebrations but Kallum Higginbotham said Kelty Hearts gave everything in their Scottish Cup heroics.

But the match-winning star insists that he and his team-mates "need to keep our feet on the floor" as they seek to make more cup history and achieve their "ultimate aim" of being crowned League Two champions.

Higginbotham, who joined Kelty in the summer of 2020 after a spell in India playing for Real Kashmir, has had an ideal knack of finding the net on the big occasion since arriving at New Central Park.

The 32-year-old was on hand to net in the first leg of both the semi-final and final of last season's League Two play-off matches, against Brora Rangers and Brechin City, and came up trumps against St Johnstone with his fifth goal of the campaign.

The enormity of Higginbotham's goal – finished coolly after being played in by Alfredo Agyeman – saw him celebrate wildly by racing the length of the pitch, chased by his ecstatic pals.

Fans of Dunfermline, where Higginbotham played for three years, will recall something similar in a crucial Championship win at rivals Falkirk – another of his former clubs – in 2018.

When asked by Press Sport post-match to talk through his moment of glory, he laughed: "Aye, what I can remember of it!

"I saw it break down the right. Alfie (Agyeman) did amazing to turn his marker and get a bit of space. The minute I saw that, I just set off, and thankfully he's lifted his head and found me in space. Then I just needed to have a bit of composure, cut inside and managed to find the back of the net.

"I need to work on the celebrations. I just go blank; I ran the full length of the pitch and then, after that, I just couldn't breathe!

"I'm absolutely over the moon. Delighted for the boys and the management team, but more so for the club and for the people behind the scenes that make Kelty what Kelty is, all the people that volunteer and stuff like that.

"They don't get recognition so I think it's massive that they get a mention because, without them doing what they do, Kelty wouldn't be the club that it is.

"It's a fantastic achievement. The lads I thought put everything on the line. To take a Premiership side all the way, and come out on top, was amazing, but we've not actually achieved anything.

"We've got through to the next round and we need to keep our feet on the floor."

Higginbotham did, though, take pride in his team's display to knock out the holders, continuing: "They're the Premiership side; we knew that they'd have a lot of quality, and they'd have a lot of the ball.

"We worked on a gameplan all week which I thought, to a man, we carried out to perfection; let their backline have it, and then try and hit them on the break when we get ball back. I think that's where the winning goal came from.

"Even to go into extra time, and the amount of chances we created in extra time, it just shows the level of fitness, and the way we train every single Tuesday and Thursday. We are a proper outfit.

"I'm just delighted to be part of it and delighted for the club more than anything that we've managed to get that result."

After enjoying the moment on Saturday, Kelty's attention was soon back on league business with last Tuesday's rearranged trip to Elgin City, which they lost 2-0, and Saturday's home game with Stranraer.

This weekend, Elgin visit for another crucial league match before the fifth round tie at St Mirren.

When asked how much of an impact the performance and result against the Perth Saints could have on their league campaign, Higginbotham replied: "We've got a great bunch of boys anyway and we've not taken anything for granted this season.

"We are in a nice position, we've got a nice cushion of points lead and we've got a couple of games in hand but we've certainly not won the league yet.

"I think the boys are well-drilled in that way. The manager doesn't let us get complacent.

"We've just got a great bunch of lads and, hopefully come the end of the season, we can win the league. That's our ultimate aim, and a nice cup run would be perfect."