THE chance to take over at Kelty Hearts came "out of the blue" but was one John Potter felt he couldn't turn down.

Now, the new man at the helm of the SPFL League Two champions is raring to get going as his own man after a successful stint at the forefront of Queen's Park's Championship promotion.

In what has been a whirlwind week at New Central Park, which began with boss Kevin Thomson, and number two Kevin McDonald, tendering their resignations last week, 42-year-old Potter was installed as their third manager in as many seasons.

The 'Maroon Machine' have enjoyed two successive promotions, from the Lowland League into the third tier of Scottish football, but have had both men to lead them there, Barry Ferguson and Thomson, then quit the role.

The latter, who was in his first senior managerial position, left after making clear his ambition to manage at a full-time club, clearing the way for former Dunfermline head coach Potter to take on the mantle.

He'll encounter familiar faces in the shape of sporting director Andrew Barrowman, League Two Player of the Year Joe Cardle, and the goal hero in Kelty's famous Scottish Cup win over St Johnstone, Kallum Higginbotham, having worked with them all at East End.

The deal was agreed while Potter was on a family holiday and, speaking exclusively to Press Sport after his appointment was announced yesterday (Wednesday), the new boss said: "It was quite quick to be honest; out of the blue.

"Obviously, I know Andy Barrowman, and I know Dean (McKenzie, general manager) a little bit at the club. I was actually just going on holiday and obviously Kevin decided to leave, and I just got asked if I was interested, and it just grew from there.

"I had finished last season at Queen's Park, and they were really great. They were keen to have me back, and I spoke away to them, but obviously when this opportunity came up, I decided to go for it.

"First of all, it's a good club with good people, that I know, and it's a club that wants to do well. It wants to continue building up; I think it wants to do well on the pitch but, as you can see, it wants to do things off the pitch as well and they want to try and build a club, or make the club better I suppose.

"The most important thing for me is the first team but there are other aspects of the club hopefully I can help as well."

Potter's coaching experience stretches a decade, when he was handed control of Dunfermline's under-20s side by then manager Jim Jefferies, and he led them to the 2013 Scottish Youth Cup final at Hampden against Celtic.

By then, however, the Pars had gone into administration, with Potter working with the first team, and he succeeded Jefferies in December 2014 following his resignation.

The Pars, though, finished seventh in League One and, at the end of the campaign, Potter reverted to a first-team coaching role under Allan Johnston, who took them to the title in his first season.

Potter, a popular figure at East End, remained with his hometown team until the summer of 2018 when Jack Ross, a former team-mate at Clyde and St Mirren, lured him to Sunderland as part of his coaching team.

In their first season on Wearside, the Black Cats reached the EFL (English Football League) League One play-off final, losing to Charlton Athletic after extra time, but left just three months into the following campaign, with the club sixth in the league.

Ross and Potter then teamed up again at Hibernian, taking them to third place in the 2020/21 Premiership season, and the Scottish Cup final, before having their time called on their Easter Road stint in December last year, despite taking them to the League Cup final.

Queen's Park, having parted ways with their head coach, Laurie Ellis, brought Potter in on their coaching staff and he was at the forefront of the Spiders' promotion to the Championship, which saw them defeat Dunfermline – relegating them in the process – and Airdrieonians through the play-offs, and he admitted that experience had helped sway his decision to try his luck again as a number one in the dugout.

"I managed to go in and they were great. It was great for me," he continued.

"Obviously, I'd left Hibs and had three or four weeks off, and then I had the opportunity to go in, and I loved it.

"It was great; a different club, good people, and when it ends in a bit of success, like what this club knows, it does kind of whet your appetite to want to go and do it.

"It's an opportunity for me, and I thank the club for the opportunity, and hopefully we can go on and do well together."

With the start of pre-season only around a week away, and the first competitive fixture, against Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Premier Sports Cup, taking place on July 9, Potter is keen to install his backroom team and assess his squad.

"Just sitting down and looking at all aspects of the club, getting some staff together, some players," he added of his immediate priorities.

"Obviously, a few left at the end of last season – I think there is still a really good core group there that have been here for a few years, and been successful – so it's important we look at that. We'll be doing that over the next two or three days, looking at the staff, looking at the squad, and trying to make sure we're prepared as well as we can be for the players coming back to training."

Barrowman added: "It was a situation that we were prepared for, just with the speculation around the previous manager.

"We had a shortlist we were working to should that day come. We whittled down that shortlist to three names, we did what we had to do in terms of the process, but it was very clear from the off that John was the outstanding candidate.

"I think he's a great fit for the club, he's the right personality for the club, and he's really bought into what we're trying to do, not just what happens on a Saturday, but outwith the club, the community club and local community.

"He's a local guy himself and he gets it. He understands the club and what we're trying to achieve here."