Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
James hopes and the miles
HE knows what it takes to get teams promoted from the Championship and is prepared to travel the road and the miles to Dundee from Wishaw to get Dundee United into the Premiership.
James Keatings has won promotion to the top league with Hamilton, Hearts and Hibs and is determined to make it promotion No 4 with the Tangerines.
The former Celtic and St Johnstone front man lives in North Lanarkshire and isn’t fazed about travelling up and down for training and matches.
It means a round trip of around 180 miles a day but it will be all the more worthwhile if that journey ends in United making it a trip i nto the Premiership.
“The journey to and from training and for games isn’t too bad and I’ll get used to it,” said the former Scotland U/16, U/17 and U/19 player.
Keatings has played 18 times at international level, netting nine goals and he has a decent scoring record at the clubs he’s been at.
He never made it to the Celtic top team and didn’t make it on to the scoresheet for Saints in four appearances.
However, goals started to come when he went to Hamilton and they have continued ever since.
His strikes included several important ones for Hibs as they clinched last season’s Championship title and he also won a Scottish Cup-winners’ medal with the Easter Road club when they defeated Rangers in the final.
The 25-year-old went on: “I know what it takes to get teams promoted from the Championship. I’ve been there and done it. You need to keep your standards high in every game and be focused all the time.
“It’s not easy to win promotion but I am ambitious and so are United.”
Keatings has scored plenty of goals in his career and very nearly got on the scoresheet for the Tangerines in Tuesday’s away friendly up the east coast at Links Park.
The forward had several efforts that nearly found the net, including one which he struck from the halfway line, Montrose keeper Jordan Miller getting back in time to clutch the ball under the bar. Keatings oozed confidence throughout the game and that was further proof of it.