Kelty Hearts will start their first ever foray into League One with a home fixture versus Edinburgh City after they raise the League Two flag at New Central Park.
The Maroon Machine swept the floor with much of what was before them last season, their first in League Two. They amassed 81 points in Scotland’s fourth tier — 21 more than their nearest rivals — and a goal difference of +40.
That was under the management of Kevin Thomson, but the 2021/22 League Two manager of the season has since left the club to pursue another challenge.
He has been replaced by John Potter, who has spent most of his coaching career as an assistant — to Jack Ross at Sunderland and Hibernian, and more recently to Owen Coyle at Queen’s Park.
There he played a role in ensuring his old club Dunfermline, where he spent two spells as a player and one as a manager, would be joining Kelty in League One for the upcoming campaign.
Queen’s saw off the Pars in the semi-final of the Championship play-off semi-final, and now Potter will be the man in charge at New Central Park when the sides meet in what are expected to be fiercely contested derbies.
Fixture list in full
July/August
July 30: Edinburgh City (H)
August 6: Alloa (A)
August 13: Clyde (A)
August 20: Dunfermline (H)
August 27: Montrose (A)
September
September 3: Falkirk (H)
September 10: Queen of the South (H)
September 17: Peterhead (A)
October
October 1: Airdrieonians (H)
October 8: Edinburgh City (A)
October 15: Clyde (H)
October 22: Falkirk (A)
October 29: Dunfermline (A)
November
November 5: Alloa Athletic (H)
November 12: Montrose (H)
November 19: Airdrieonians (A)
December
December 3: Peterhead (H)
December 17: Queen of the South (A)
December 24: Dunfermline (H)
January 2023
January 2: Alloa Athletic (A)
January 7: Clyde (A)
January 14: Airdrieonians (H)
January 28: Montrose (A)
February
February 4: Falkirk (H)
February 18: Queen of the South (H)
February 25: Peterhead (A)
March
March 4: Edinburgh City (H)
March 11: Airdrieonians (A)
March 18: Montrose (H)
March 25: Falkirk (A)
April
April 1: Dunfermline (A)
April 8: Clyde (H)
April 15: Alloa Athletic (H)
April 22: Edinburgh City (A)
April 29: Peterhead (H)
May
May 6: Queen of the South (A)
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