KELTY Hearts under-18s concluded a fantastic season by completing the treble and creating club history.

The youngsters won the Under 18s League, League Cup and the Fife Cup.

The Fife Cup was the final piece of silverware earned last weekend as they defeated Dundonald Bluebell U18s at Lochgelly Albert's Purvis Park.

It completed an amazing connection for the players who began their journey together 13 years ago, with the Blue Brazil Youth Football Club.

Little did manager John O’Donnell, and coach Gary Gilfillan, know when they dropped off their sons at the Blue Brazil training ground what path they were about to take.

They were persuaded to become coaches and it saw them take the young side right through to under-18 level, which was capped by the treble, the first time that a Kelty Hearts team has won three competitions in the same season.

The Times caught up with Gary and his fellow coach, Steve Patrick, this week to learn of the historic season.

Gilfillan said: "When John and myself went to drop our sons off at the Blue Brazil Boys Club kids’ training session, we were surprised to be asked if we would be interested in running the sessions, but as we both were involved in football we decided top give it a go.

"Little did we think it would last so long though!"

The boys have become a tight-knit group over the years and a team which has won many tournaments at many levels and last year, and we were able to link-up with the Kelty Hearts set-up.

“The facilities at Kelty Hearts are excellent and were clearly going to benefit the players, so it was a decision that our set-up made and the players responded by producing a fantastic season,” added Gilfillan.

“In our 16 league games, we managed to win 14, drawing one and losing one, to pip Dundonald Bluebell for the title, and we also met the Bluebell in the League Cup and Fife Cup finals."

Patrick, who joined the set-three years ago, went on: “The League Cup tie was a good game but the lads played well and won 3-0.

“So it meant it went down to the Fife Cup final to complete the treble, and it was another close game but we defended very solidly and thoroughly deserved our 1-0 win which led to memorable celebrations back in Kelty.”

The Kelty Hearts under-18s backroom team is four-strong with O’Donnell, Gilfillan and Patrick, being joined by Emma Baillie, who combines being physio with the role of team administrator, and each of them has played an important role in allowing the team to complete its historic season.

Gilfillan observed that it had been an amazing path seeing the kids go from learning the game to the closing stretch of their path.

He said: "It has been a great experience and the squad now is set to move into the under-20 stage of their football path, and it will not involve any of us which will be strange after all these years.

“Development has been the key issue throughout our time with the team and it has been a pleasure to see them become really good players, and hopefully they will all go on to enjoy successful football careers.”

The coaching staff collectively added: "We all want to thank all past and present players who have been part of the success story over the years and also Kelty Hearts for their help in progressing the development of the squad."