The remarkable progress at Kirkcaldy & Dysart FC

That’s the view of the Kirkcaldy & Dysart’s vice-chairman Alistair Cameron who joined the club’s committee after he was dismayed at what he found during a 2018 visit.

He remembers: “My partner and I went to watch Kirkcaldy YM, as they were then, at a game towards the end of the season in April 2018 and saw them take yet another hammering.

“For three years the team had basically been the worst in semi-professional Scottish football, they were getting beaten on average by seven or eight goals.

“It was dire and the club was quite a depressing place, but one good thing was the facilities at the ground were reasonably good, albeit in need of an upgrade.

“Also, most importantly, Craig Ness (above) and Stewart McManus, had just taken over the first team. They were the only real positives the club had at the time.

“If they hadn’t come in at that time the club would probably have folded.”

Mr Cameron took his place on the committee for the start of the 2018/19 season and started to help stabilise things, with the plan to make YM a community club.

He said: “Not only did we want to get YM back to being a team the town could be proud of, but we wanted to make the Denfield area a community asset by using football as a stepping stone.

“We had a good relationship with Dysart FC and, at the end of the 18/19 season, their committee decided they would like to amalgamate with YM.

“This allowed us to not only take on some new players, but also five working committee members. That made a huge amount of difference.

“It meant cutting ties completely with the YMCA which was a bit of a shame but it was in everyone’s best interests.”

Season 2019/20 saw the birth of Kirkcaldy & Dysart FC – as well as new partnerships with two local sides.

“The SFA had identified Kirkcaldy as a town which had no partnership or pathway from youth to senior level in its set up,” Mr Cameron says.

“We then came to an agreement with Templehall United and Kirkcaldy FC.

“Between the two of them that gave us a number of teams from U16 downwards, with around 300 players involved in the partnership.

“This meant that they were able to say to their teams, they now had a path up to senior football in Kirkcaldy.

“They now don’t have to worry about where they are going to go next year, or even leave Kirkcaldy which may players had to do before to play at a higher level.

“Now, they have somewhere to go.”

Craig Simpson, Templehall United chairman, says the partnership will have a “positive effect” on his club’s players.

“Like any large merger there are always teething problems however along with our friends at Kirkcaldy FC and the committee representatives of Kirkcaldy & Dysart FC we all have a common goal of finally implementing a much needed player pathway local to Kirkcaldy.

“I am confident the partnership will reap the benefits of emerging local youth from Templehall Utd and Kirkcaldy FC in the years to come.”

Kirkcaldy FC’s John Anderson added: “Kirkcaldy FC are proud to have been involved with the Football Partnership from the very beginning and the player pathway created has been greatly beneficial to the young players involved.

“The improved progression of the senior side gives out a great incentive to all these youngsters to aim high for the future.”

Progress was made immediately. Kirkcaldy & Dysart fielded U17 and U19 teams last season for the first time and next season an U20 team will play on the Lowland League Development League, and will be managed by former Raith Rovers star Paul Browne.

He paid tribute to a committee which he says has shown “passion and determination to move the club forward”.

He added: “These are exciting times for any youngsters to at last have a club in Kirkcaldy with football ambition to progress all the way through to a senior side without having to travel all over Fife to achieve it.”

The partnership now offers Kirkcaldy youngsters a pathway from seven years old right up to the age of 20 and Mr Cameron welcomed the addition of a second such set up in the town.

“Another positive since we put this partnership together is the second pathway under the Raith Rovers banner between them and Real Fife.

“So, from having no football partnerships at all in Kirkcaldy, we now have two that are very strong.

“Any boys or girls in the town can now have a pathway to follow in their career.

“It’s great to see that second partnership and also means we have a good rivalry in the town - nothing wrong with that!”

Mr Cameron says the club has many plans looking forward but for the time being says he’s proud of how far they have come in such a short time.

“Where Kirkcaldy YM were hurt me personally and I was determined that it wasn’t going to continue.

“We couldn’t have a team like that representing our town and since then, without throwing a lot of money at it, we’ve made huge strides.

“We’re only in year two, but it seems like we’re actually on year four.

“That’s how far we’ve come.”