ℹ️ PERS. INFORMATION

⚽️ CLUB HISTORY

Club	Years
Dundee United FC	Youth – 2019
Tayport FC	2019 (on loan)
Brechin City FC	2019 – 2023
Forfar Athletic FC	2023 –

🎙️ INTERVIEW

Introduce yourself…

My name is Kieran Inglis, I am 25 years old and currently play for Forfar Athletic in Scottish League 2. I have played football since the age of 5 and was scouted from Dundee United at the age of 8 from Celtic Boys Club in Dundee. I spent 11 years at the club with my final 2 years being a full time professional. After this I went on to sign for Brechin City FC, where I spent 4 years and won a league title. In the summer of 2023 I then went on to sign for Forfar Athletic where I still play to this date. I have been fortunate enough to have played 200 plus senior games, which has benefited me greatly in my development and maturity as a player. Alongside playing football, I am currently working in real estate and have a passion for property investment and management. I also coach at the SFA Performance School based at St Johns in Dundee, this is something I have done for 4 years now and I am currently undertaking obtaining my qualification badges, to hopefully one day coach at the highest level possible!

As a central midfielder, what are the key attributes you believe define your game, and where are you still pushing yourself to improve?

As a central midfielder myself, I feel the key attributes I have developed from a young age are the ability to take the ball in tight spaces as well as having the ability to outplay 1v1 by manipulating the ball with both feet. I have always been quite technically gifted and this has helped me massively. More strengths of mine are my passing range, general awareness, vision and pressing intensity. As a box to box midfielder, I am a strong runner who likes to arrive in the box late and this is where most of my goals come from due to me timing my runs well. Areas of improvement in my game I am still pushing to improve are my positional awareness from a defensive point of view as well as increasing the number of line breaking passes and dribbles I perform in a game.

Can you take us back to your earliest memories in the Dundee United academy? What stands out most from your youth development there?

As I mentioned above, I spent 11 years at Dundee United and 9 of these were spent within the academy, one of which has built incredible rep throughout the years due to the number of talented players it has produced. I was extremely privileged to have worked with some incredible coaches such as Steven Leahy, Andy Payne and most noticeably Ian Cathro who has gone on to coach at the highest level and is now thriving in Portugal as head coach of Estoril FC. My earliest memories of the academy was getting up at the crack of dawn to go in and train at St Johns High School with an age group 2 years older me who had just started the first school/football programme started in Scotland. This would include players training before school and after school. After training I would then go to my primary school (often late, dripping with sweat and a bright red face!) carry out my day then return to St Johns for the after school session. On top of this I would also train 3 nights a week at the well known Gussie Park facility which lies in the shadows of Tannadice Park. In terms of what stands out most from my time within the academy, would be the high level of coaching I received and the high degree of technical ability I left the academy with!

You were on the first-team bench several times but ultimately didn’t make a senior appearance for United. How did that experience shape your mindset and aspirations as a young professional?

In the 17/18 season, I was buzzing to have been included in my first match day squad with the first team. The game was on a Friday night against St Mirren, United’s rivals for promotion back to the SPL that year. I remember being at the hotel having pre-match and expecting to be named as being one of the players in the stand but the gaffer flipped over his Flipchart and I see my name listed on the subs. The feeling I got was incredible and the first team lads we’re buzzing for me, especially with me being a united fan growing up. The atmosphere at the game was amazing and despite getting beat 2-0 and not getting on the pitch, it was a day that will stick with me forever. The experience left me hungry for more and a few days later I was named on the bench again for ironically a game against Brechin City in which we won 4-1. Unfortunately, due to a sending off midway through the second half, this most likely cost my debut, however that’s football and just the way it goes sometimes. My relationship with the manager was very good and he had a lot of belief in me which meant a lot but sadly he was to lose his job not long after and my run with the first team kind of came to an end with the new manager. This made me realise that football is all about opinions and although one manager likes you this may not be the same for the next! This helped my mentality grow and deal with setbacks in a more effective way.

Your loan to Tayport was one of your first experiences in senior match football. What did that spell teach you about the physical and mental demands of men’s football?

In the 18/19 season, I had my first senior loan at Tayport. To say this was a rude awakening would be an understatement! It was my first experience of the men’s game at senior level and despite at the time thinking it wasn’t for me and not beneficial to my career, looking back it helped shape me into the player I am now. I was very young and naive at the time and after my first game I did not enjoy one thing about it, most likely because the ball was going over my head for 90 minutes, which lead to a very sore neck afterwards! This made me realise, I may need to impact games in a way I didn’t need to do in the academy due to the very stark difference in the style of games. I knew I couldn’t get on the ball and play the nice football you see in academy settings but instead I had to roll my sleeves up and be ready to compete through tackles and 1v1 duels for 90 minutes, and if I didn’t I would know all about it! The whole experience made me tougher not only physically but mentally as well.

Your move to Brechin City proved significant for your development. How did it feel to settle quickly and establish yourself over multiple seasons?

The 4 years I spent with Brechin City was a rollercoaster of emotions. In my first season, the season was cancelled due to Covid-19 and in my second we were unfortunately relegated after a 2 leg playoff defeat to Kelty Hearts. This meant the club dropped down to the Highland League which was a completely different experience for not only me but the club as well but one I thoroughly enjoyed. The first season in the league we finished third and in the second season – my last, we won the league on the final day beating Buckie Thistle 2-0 away from home. This was one of the highlights of my career to date. The game seemed to go so quick as we just couldn’t seem to find the goal we needed as a point was enough for Buckie so we had to win. Eventually it came though and the scenes were incredible. Brechin is a club I have great love for due to the way they treated me from the get go. I needed a new home after my release from United and what a home I found. An amazing family like club supported by its amazing community. The relationship between the supporters, players and staff was like no other I have experienced. I went on to make 122 appearances for the club scoring 30 times, so my development during my time at the club could not be questioned.

What’s your most memorable moment in a Brechin shirt, maybe a specific game, goal, or performance?

My most memorable moment in a Brechin City shirt would have to be our final day league win I mentioned above. The whole day was surreal and one I won’t forget in a hurry. I also look back with fondness at my first senior hattrick against Formatine United and also my equalising goal against Darvel in the Scottish Cup which I would say was the best goal I scored during my time playing for the club.

What motivated your transfer to Forfar Athletic in 2023, and what were you hoping to achieve with the club?

After 4 years at Brechin, I felt the time was right to move on and challenge myself at a higher level. I had strong connections with the manager at the time who was Ray McKinnon. He was my ex youth coach at the St Johns Performance School in Dundee and also first team manager at Dundee United when I was full time. I had offers from two teams in League 1 but decided the best move for me at that time was with Forfar in League 2. Upon signing, my main goal was to establish myself as a starter within the team as well as contributing with goals and assists as quickly as I could. For a club with the stature of Forfar our aim that season had to be to challenge for promotion

How would you describe the squad culture at Forfar Athletic, and what role do you see yourself playing within that culture?

At Forfar we have a great group of lads and the camaraderie within the dressing room is really good. There are no egos, instead it’s very much team first and the individual second. A very hard working culture has been set and a mutual respect between players and staff is clear to see. On a personal note, it’s been a very frustrating three years with having two long term injuries. In my first season I was out for 4 months with plantar fasciitis and this season I have been out for 4 months again with a grade three hamstring injury. As I said above, unfortunately this is just part and parcel of football but my rehabilitation has went well so I will hopefully be returning to the pitch soon. When I first joined the club I carried my form for Brechin with me and I hit the ground running and was scoring goals and performing well, so the injury came at a bad time. Since then, myself and the club have underachieved but this season is looking more promising as we are challenging for the playoff spots.

What are your personal and professional goals moving forward, both with Forfar Athletic FC and in your broader football career?

My goals for the future, in the short term are to get back playing at the level I know I am capable of and contributing to the team with strong performances which hopefully include goals and assists. I want to keep progressing and developing as a player by working hard every day and that’s all I can ask of myself. Wherever that takes me is unknown but to be happy and enjoying my football is my main goal.