Kirkcaldy and Dysart get ready for step up from Juniors

Manager Craig Ness has kept the majority of his playing squad from last year as the club makes the step up from the Juniors to the East of Scotland League.

Ness admits that it’s a step into the unknown but is confident his team can make its mark when the new season resumes.

We’re going with the mindset that, because it’s our first season in the East of Scotland league, we really don’t know what to expect,” he says.

“The leagues haven’t been confirmed yet so we don’t know who will be in our league. We know some of the players that are over there from Fife teams like Burntisland Shipyard, so we can kind of get an idea from that. 

“But in terms of the level, we don’t really know what we’re stepping into, so what we’re doing is gauging it on our in-house progress.

“Year on year we’re just looking to do better.”

With the club in lockdown Ness says he has been busy speaking to players, identifying players and holding talks through social distancing and Zoom calls whilst building a squad. 

“It’s difficult because, as any manager will tell you, you prefer a face to face meeting, but that’s not possible at the moment.

“We’ve found a way around it and we have commitments off of some guys. We’ve tied up all but three of last year’s squad which is a great starting point.

“The three that aren’t part of it were my decision. Sometimes guys just have to move on and we wish them all the best.

Ness says he believes his squad will hold it’s own despite the step up in quality.

“They’ve been together for two years and they’ve never once been annihilated, so I can’t see that happening

“At the very minimum we want the team to be competitive next year.

“We know the Fife teams so we know what we’re going to be coming up against. The Borders and Edinburgh teams are unknown but we’re confident in every game.

“We work hard on the training ground to make ourselves hard to beat and to be a threat, so we’ll wait and see. 

“The squad is all excited about coming into a new environment, a new league and a new ground. 

“The buzz among the guys is very positive and that’s flowing right through the club at the moment.”