The Highland club turned out against Highland League side Formartine United on Saturday in a pre-season friendly, where they came away as comfortable winners in a 3-0 victory.

However, it was former Hibs midfielder Fraser Fyvie whose goal set tongues wagging as he netted from just inside his own half to add his team’s second goal in the 35th minute.

Video shows Cove – dressed in all white – passing the ball about in their own half as their centre back looks for space, opting to pass the ball to Fyvie just by the halfway line.

The 30-year-old then spins and gets past his marker before looking up and effortlessly punting the pall, which soars over the head of the Formartine goalkeeper from the best part of 55 yards.

Fyvie – who has also played for Aberdeen – doesn’t seem too fazed by his incredible finish as he casually strolls back towards the centre circle whilst team mates rush to congratulate him.

The Toonsers added a third goal through a trialist with 15 minutes left after new signing Kyle Connell had given them an early lead.

Cove shared the clip of the incredible finish on social media yesterday evening writing: “A very early goal of the season contender from Fraser Fyvie.”

Many people were quick to comment on the obvious highlight of the pre-season fixture with one fan even serenading the star.

Broomhill manager Stephen Swift said: “Wow [Fraser].”

Wycombe Wanderers player Jack Grimmer said: “The cele is too casual.”

One fan crooned: “Woah-oh-oh it’s Fyvie you know, hard to believe it’s not Scholes.”

Cove continue their pre-season preparations against Fraserburgh FC this Saturday as they aim for an immediate return to the Scottish Championship following their relegation last season.

The post Five out of Fyvie: Former Hibs midfielder scores stunner from own half in early goal of the season contender for Scots League One side appeared first on Deadline News.

The former Scotland, Hearts and Everton left-back returned to football management at the ambitious League 2 outfit on Tuesday following a 21-month absence from the dugout.

Naysmith’s most recent post was as a Loans Manager at Tynecastle, but that came to an end last June.

And amidst applying for roles in football during the pandemic, former Queen of the South and East Fife boss Naysmith admits he helped distribute toilet parts to make sure he had something to occupy the void during lockdown.

Naysmith said: “As a football player you are used to a routine, in the morning you know what you are going to do. 

“During this time, I was just getting up in the morning, I was not even taking my boy to school because he wasn’t going to school.

“You would go for a run, maybe do the odds and ends like everybody, go to Tesco.

“It’s like deja vu. I am not saying I was struggling with my mental health, but I was thinking, ‘it’s the same again, same again, same again’.

“During that time I got a wee driving job doing some deliveries, that was great, getting yourself out of the house.

“It was to keep myself busy but more so for the mental side of it.

“When this wee job came up, just delivering stuff for City Plumbing, you were classed a key worker, because maybe people had toilets that were broken. 

“That job allowed me to go out and help people, but really I was helping myself because it was giving me that routine that was familiar to me my whole life.

“I was not doing it for the money, I was doing it to help me really, help me be as familiar as I could in terms of a routine and it worked out well for me.”

Double Take

Naysmith, who earned 46 Scotland caps, admits he must have left some of his fellow road users confused when they saw him in the van.

He added: “I didn’t drive everyday, if they needed me they needed me but I probably did it over a period of about four months. 

“It was quite funny, people see you in the van and sometimes they would do that double take, ‘is that Gary Naysmith driving that van?’

“Some people might have said, ‘you’re silly, you could have sat in the house’. 

“It’s not for me that really.

“I also was applying for other jobs in football, down in England, abroad, video scouts roles, stuff like that. 

“I was actively trying to get back involved although I knew I wanted another crack at the management.”

Naysmith, who also played for Sheffield United, Huddersfield Town and Aberdeen, joined City on a deal until 2024 on Tuesday after former manager James McDonaugh became the club’s new sporting director.

And the 42-year-old insists his absence from frontline management has made him even more determined to bring success to the club.

He said: “If someone had said to me that when I lost my job at Queen of the South I would be waiting 21 months to get back in I would have found that hard to believe.

“Because of Covid and stuff it felt like a really long time but what it has done is increased my hunger to get back and succeed in the job I went back in to, and hopefully Edinburgh will see the benefits of that.

“There is a three-and-a-half year contract, which is unbelievable for a manager to get that length of time in this day and age. 

“Within that they know I’m not going to jump ship when the next full-time job comes along. 

“If someone had said when I left Queen of the South I would have to wait 21 months to get the Edinburgh job I would have waited because I firmly believe it’s one of the clubs where there is a real chance to build and grow.”

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Bairns boss Lee Miller is keen to strengthen his backline and has sounded out his Dens Park counterpart James McPake about the availability of signing Forster on loan.

The SPFL recently extended the loan window for lower league clubs until the end of March, so the former Hibs stopper would be able to make the switch to the Falkirk Stadium — potentially with a view to a permanent move in the summer.

Thistle are among the other sides in the mix as Ian McCall seeks to bolster his ranks for the remainder of a curtailed campaign.

Forster, 27, has made just five appearances this term and, although fully fit, and is understood to be behind the likes of Liam Fontaine, Lee Ashcroft, Malachi Fagan-Walcott the Dundee pecking order.

League One and League Two clubs were finally given the green light to resume training and playing this week, in the form of a 22-game season — including a split after the 18th round of fixtures — from March 20.

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The League One leaders again feel that they have unfairly treated after the Scottish FA ruled on Monday that all divisions below the Championship were to be suspended for three weeks due to rising Covid-19 levels.

Deans had still been getting his head around the way the £30 million government handout was allocated to all 42 teams.

Falkirk and Partick Thistle, the only two full-time teams in League One, were each handed £150,000, while all ten Championship clubs received £500,000.

Falkirk were also aggrieved by how last season ended after they were denied the chance to return to the second tier when the SPFL brought the leagues to a premature and controversial end.

Deans’ anger has only been compounded by the latest decision that has left Falkirk facing no football until at least the end of the month.

In a 600 word statement, Deans said: “The unfairness, inconsistency, and double standards on display is there for everyone to see.

“Many of you will feel you have heard this record before, but the continued inability of our sport’s most senior decision makers to take decisions that seek to safeguard the future of all of Scotland’s clubs continues to baffle but not surprise.  

“We have called for change and we are ready to play a leading role in the much-needed reform that our national game requires.  Change is required and urgently.

“Our staff have worked incredibly hard to ensure we comply with the varied and numerous pandemic directives and protocols from Scottish Government, the SFA and the SPFL.  

“Quite frankly, our staff and supporters deserve greater respect from Scottish football’s decision makers who threaten their livelihoods and our club with decisions which we believe are ill-thought through and poorly communicated.

“The health crisis results in everyone – us included – having to make difficult decisions and that includes those in charge of our game, but some decisions, such as those to stop us playing and training while allowing other part-time clubs to continue are baffling.”

Deans admits Wednesday’s scheduled meeting involving all 42 SPFL clubs failed to shed any clarity over how the decision to suspend football outside the top two leagues was reached.

He added: “Unfortunately that meeting did not provide any clearer understanding of the justification for the decision.

“This decision came with no prior consultation with our club and we have been forced to rapidly assess the impact that the suspension of fixtures and training will have on all our staff here at Falkirk.”

Celtic

Deans has also hinted that the Covid-19 controversy affecting Celtic on the back of their trip to Dubai brought unnecessary attention to the game.

He added: “We all recognise the wide-ranging and serious impact that the pandemic has had on every aspect of society and of course we commend and support the efforts of the Scottish Government to safeguard life and to protect the NHS.  

“Football has been granted unique concessions which reflect its importance to our national consciousness and we are all aware of recent failures which have brought these concessions into focus.

“Unfortunately, only some clubs (namely those in League One and Two and those outside the SPFL) have been made to carry the can for those failings, whilst those in the upper reaches of the league pyramid have been allowed to continue on top of having been rewarded disproportionately with Scottish Government funding.”

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The 26-year-old is a free agent after leaving Hull City during the summer and accepted an invitation to train with the League One side during their pre-season.

Kingsley has also featured in bounce games against Raith Rovers and Hearts, ironically having been strongly linked with the Jambos in recent weeks.

Miller readily accepts that Falkirk are rank outsiders in the race for the gifted defender’s signature – but makes no secret of his desire to seal a sensational swoop.

“Stephen Kingsley has been in training with us and has played a couple of friendlies,” explained Miller. “We saw that he was without a club and asked him if he wanted to come in.

“If we could get Stephen Kingsley then it would be great from a Falkirk perspective.

“I know he will have other options because he is a top-quality player. We have seen that ability in training and during the bounce games we have played.

“But it’s one of those things; you just never know what might happen in football.”

Kingsley emerged through the youth ranks with Falkirk, making his debut as a teenager in 2011 before going on to rack up 108 appearances for the club. He also played alongside Miller’s co-boss, David McCracken, at the Bairns.

He went on to represent Swansea in the English Premier League, turn out for Yeovil and Crewe and win his sole international cap in a 3-0 defeat against France in 2016.

20 YEARS

While that appears to be a pedigree which would put Kingsley out of Falkirk’s reach, Miller hopes they can draw on the emotional draw of a return to his first club.

“Can we pull on the heartstrings? Maybe we can. Falkirk does that to players,” smiled Miller. “I started my career here 20 years ago and Cracks [David McCracken] was club captain here, and it means a lot to us. I’m sure that’s the case for plenty of other former players.

“He has come from an outfit who were recently in the Premiership, so it might prove to be just beyond Falkirk, but you never know.”

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The Rawlins, who own and operate the football consulting company Sleeping Giant Consulting, intend to inject a six-figure sum into the League One outfit and will take a place on the Bairns board when the verbal agreement is officially ratified.

Phil Rawlins hails from Stoke-on-Trent and was formally a director of the Potters during their rise to the English Premier League. He is the founder and life president of MLS club Orlando City.

Carrie was previously a consultant with Deloitte & Touche and, although retired in Colorado, they have been seeking investment opportunities in European football for some time.

Making their first public statement, the Rawlins said: “For several months we have been looking at clubs across Europe, and particularly in Scotland, who share our ambitions and are aligned with our views on how to advance a community-centric football club.

“Considering Falkirk’s size, history and fanbase we recognise the club has been underperforming in recent years and we believe we can offer the financial impetus, network and expertise to help take Falkirk back to the Premiership.”

Falkirk chairman Gary Deans has hailed the news as ‘exciting’ while emphasising that ‘the club is not for sale and the Rawlins do not have any plans to be majority owners of the club’.

Indeed, plans are in the offing to create an Official Falkirk Supporters Association, which would allow supporters to become members and, in the fulness of time, gain representation on the club’s board.

It is hoped that model, which remains at the planning stage, and an upcoming share issue will raise pivotal funds for the Bairns, who recently named former Rangers and Hibs forward Alan Gow as their new head of football operations.

The Major Shareholders’ Group (MSG) currently hold the largest stake in the club – more than 60 per cent – however that is set to be significantly diluted in the coming weeks due to the impending changes.

The Rawlins continued: “Since our first interactions with the board we have been extremely impressed with their leadership and vision for the future of the club.

“We see a solid plan for transformative change in place at Falkirk and a very loyal, passionate, and dedicated fanbase. Falkirk has excellent infrastructure and huge potential.

“While it has been challenging to do all our due diligence against the ongoing backdrop of a pandemic, we feel both confident and comfortable that Falkirk is the right choice at the right time.

ALIGNED

“We are eager to see the formalities completed and get to work alongside the other directors at the club. We believe Falkirk has a very bright future ahead of it.”

The investment in Falkirk comes mere days after their fierce rivals, Dunfermline, announced similar news, with Hamburg-based DAFC Fussball GmbH taking on 30 per cent amid promises to develop the youth academy and new training facilities.

Deans added: “As a board, we have spent significant time getting to know them and ensuring that our respective ambitions for the club are completely aligned.”

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Keena, 21, joined the Bairns this week following a six-month stint in English football with Hartlepool United.

The former Hearts attacker insists he loved every minute of his adventure south of the border, notching two goals in eight outings, but requested to return to Scotland ahead of a life-changing year with his partner, Leah.

The doting couple are expecting a baby girl in October – just as Keena will be getting back to competitive football with Falkirk – and were keen to be closer to Leah’s family.

He said: “My partner is seven months pregnant and my family is over in Ireland so we made the decision to come back up the road to be closer to Leah’s family.

“In terms of football, everything was going well at Hartlepool. The team was going in the right direction and I was flying – but you’ve got to think about your life off the pitch.

“It’s our first baby and we thought I was important to have that support in Scotland.

“The manager at Hartlepool, Dave Challinor, was really understanding about it, which I appreciate and to get a move to a club as big as Falkirk is brilliant.

“October is going to be a big month – a baby due and the season starting with Falkirk. At least I won’t get too nervous about the first game of the season – I might have my mind on other things!”

Keena is relishing the prospect of finally being a main man in the SPFL after feeding off scraps at Hearts.

He made 17 appearances for the Jambos after joining from St Pat’s Athletic in 2017 – 14 of those from the bench – despite being considered one of the most natural finishers at the club. He found the net once, in a Scottish Cup hammering of Auchinleck Talbot in 2019.

He was one of the players axed by Daniel Stendel following his ill-fated appointment in December.

Keena did, however, score 12 goals over loan stints at Dunfermline and Queen’s Park, and says the time is right to establish himself over a whole campaign.

He continued: “I just want to play now. I’m 21 years old and I’ve got no interest in sitting on the bench or in the stand any more.

OPPORTUNITIES 

“I’ve felt ready to be a regular starter for a while now, but at Hearts I had international players ahead of me in the pecking order and I didn’t get the opportunities I wanted.

“Sometimes you need to take a step back to get those minutes and I definitely feel like I can score goals for Falkirk, be right up there at the top of the scoring charts and be a big player in this league.”

Keena’s switch to the Falkirk Stadium has been eight months in the making, with co-manager Lee Miller having contacted him in January with a view to sealing a deal.

And the front-man is determined to prove worth the wait by firing the Bairns to the title in what is expected to be a fraught race with Partick Thistle.

He added: “I’m coming here to challenge for a title. We don’t want anything less.

“A club like Falkirk needs to be winning League One and then hopefully push on again. You look around the place and it’s a Premiership club – so at the very least we need to be back in the Championship.

“I want to play a major part in that.”

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Knox, who was most recently on the books of Brechin City, was tipped for stardom when he became Livingston’s youngest ever debutant in 2016 – featuring against St Mirren just four days after his 16th birthday.

Ex-Gers gaffer Mark Warburton ran the rule over the winger, while he enjoyed a training stint with the Red Devils, Liverpool and Sunderland.

However, a dream move failed to come to fruition and Knox found first-team opportunities hard to come by at Livi, making just 25 appearances before his departure in 2019.

Knox, now 20 years of age, has also turned out for Berwick Rangers and East Fife – and is determined to kickstart his career across the water.

Warrenpoint finished 11th in the Premiership last term when it was called due to the Covid-19 outbreak, securing survival due to the cancellation of the relegation playoff.

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Anderson, a partner at financial giants Baillie Gifford, handed over more than £3m to SPFL clubs to alleviate the pressures caused by the Covid-19 crisis, with all 42 sides banking £50,000.

He also gave £250,000 to the women’s game and £300,000 to grassroots football and was at pains to underline the importance of the game at a non-professional level.

And Anderson insists the significance of sport to ‘deprived and suffering’ areas was a major factor in his generosity, adding that it can ‘cross the boundaries of society’.

Anderson, one of a group of benefactors who have given more than £9 million to Hearts over the last four years, was discussing his passion for the game during an interview with Bloomberg.

And he said: “There are very few institutions which cross the boundaries of society at the moment.

“Sport, in particular, is one of those and in many areas of Britain, it is one of the few hobbies that can provide an outlet in deprived and suffering areas.

“We also think it is very important to do this for women’s sport and youth sport at the same time. It’s not just about the professional game, albeit that is more high-profile and popular.

“We are strongly of the view that these are some of the most important institutions to maintain.”

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The former Falkirk, Morton and St Johnstone ace this week became the Spiders’ latest high-profile capture as boss Ray McKinnon tools up for a League Two title-charge.

Doyle, 28, joins Scotland cap Cammy Bell, Peter Grant, Lee Kilday, Ross MacLean, Craig Slater and Bob McHugh in a squad packed with impressive pedigree.

And Doyle is adamant the Queen’s Park project mirrors his time at Alloa, where he won successive promotions under Paul Hartley before cementing their place in one of the most competitive Championships in history.

He said: “I’ve done this journey before with Alloa – we started at League Two and made our way to the Championship, then survived in a Championship with Hearts, Rangers and Hibs in the league.

“It was a four-year process where we got promoted twice then had a couple of great years.

“Having been through it before, I get the same sort of feeling at Queen’s Park.

“You need a whole changing room to achieve that and the manager is bringing in a spine of players that he knows can make that a reality.

“You just need to look at the standard of player he has signed. Every player he has brought in could be playing in the Championship and I’m excited to see what he’s got up his sleeve next.

“I don’t think winning League Two is the final ambition for Queen’s Park. They want to go a lot higher than that – and that’s the vision the manager put across to me.”

Doyle was a free agent after suffering a double disappointment at the end of his one-year stint at Falkirk.

Not only did the Bairns lose out on promotion by a point to Raith Rovers when the divisions were called, but that failure to go up proved to be the difference between him earning a new deal at the Falkirk Stadium and being cut loose.

Doyle continued: “The way things ended was painful – both for the club and my own time at Falkirk.

The coronavirus effectively cost me the chance of another year at Falkirk. If we had gone up then I’d still be there, and we firmly believed that we could have gone on to win that league.

FORTUNATE

“I’d rather things had finished on the pitch but sometimes things are taken out of your control.”

Indeed, Doyle has a sharp sense of perspective and recognises that he is one of the lucky ones amid a swathe of players searching for new clubs.

He added: “I feel fortunate to have found another club, especially at a club where it really feels like there is a project and direction.

“I know there are plenty of other boys who haven’t got fixed up yet and are looking for other jobs – that’s the other side of it.”

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