Striker Kyle Lafferty has left the club to sign for WoSFL Division 2 side Forth Wanderers in a player/coach role. The former Northern Ireland international and Rangers striker spent three successful years at the club following his well-documented move to Keanie Park in July 2023.

Lafferty’s first season at the club was severely disrupted after he suffered a serious knee injury in August of that year, but he made his long-anticipated return in the spring of 2024 to play his part in the club gaining promotion from the WoSFL Division 1 to the WoSFL Premier League.

Kyle Lafferty’s second season at Johnstone Burgh was the most memorable. He helped the club to a respectable third-place finish behind Clydebank and Auchinleck Talbot in their first Premier League campaign in over 20 years.

The real highlight was his major contribution in the latter stages of the Scottish Junior Cup. The 89-capped former Northern Ireland international scored the winning penalty in the shootout win over Irvine Meadow XI in the quarter-final on a tense afternoon at Keanie Park.

Next, Johnstone Burgh played a two-leg semi-final against fellow WoSFL Premier League side Largs Thistle. The Burgh lost the first leg 1-0 at Keanie Park in what was a very frustrating day.

The second leg at Barrfields Stadium in Largs was a very tense affair. With the Burgh 1-0 up through an early Ciaran Diver strike, the tie was balanced in the latter stages of the match. Lafferty then came off the bench to join the attack and, although he didn’t score the winner, his presence on the park turned the game for the Burgh as Aaron Mason scored the goal to take the club to their first Scottish Junior Cup Final in 25 years.

Sunday 1st June 2025 was the day of the Scottish Junior Cup Final against Tranent at Broadwood. This was the day that confirmed Kyle Lafferty as a Johnstone Burgh legend.

With the Burgh 1-0 down midway through the second half, the tension was high. Once again, Lafferty came off the bench and made a huge impact by turning the game in the Keanie Park side’s favour. The Tranent defence struggled to cope with the presence of both Lafferty and Ciaran Diver in attack, and the pressure paid off as Diver scored the equalising goal that sent the match to penalty kicks.

The nerves were felt by the Johnstone Burgh fans in the stands, as well as those watching at home on TV, as the penalty shootout was about to start. Could the club banish the memory of the heartbreaking shootout defeat in the 2000 Junior Cup Final against Whitburn at Firhill? Was the 57-year wait to see the cup arrive back in Johnstone town centre about to be over?

As the shootout progressed in Johnstone Burgh’s favour, the nerves slowly appeared to calm as they went 3-2 ahead with a huge advantage gained. If the Johnstone side scored the next penalty, they would win the Scottish Junior Cup.

It almost felt like fate that the biggest signing in Johnstone Burgh’s history would have the chance to deliver the moment of glory. It took a tremendous team effort to get to this point, with a number of outstanding saves made by Luke Scullion on the way to this moment that deserve a special mention.

Then up stepped Kyle Lafferty, who planted a right-foot shot into the top left-hand corner of the net to confirm Johnstone Burgh FC as the 2025 Scottish Junior Cup winners.

The scenes inside Broadwood Stadium and later on in Houstoun Square will be remembered forever. A personal highlight was being there to see then-manager Murdo MacKinnon and club captain Del Esplin walking into Houstoun Square, both holding the trophy aloft in front of hundreds of jubilant Johnstonians.

Kyle Lafferty’s final full season at the club was a lot less dramatic than the previous one and not quite as successful as hoped, but the big striker more than played his part by helping the club to a sixth-place finish to secure promotion to the new Scottish Lowland League West for the following season, which was Johnstone Burgh’s number one aim before the campaign started.

A notable highlight for Lafferty during the season was scoring two goals in the club’s first-ever senior Scottish Cup tie in the 4-1 win away to Irvine Meadow in early August.

Another highlight was his performance in what was arguably the club’s best result of the season, in their 2-1 away win against in-form Troon on 20th December. The former Rangers man was outstanding from start to finish and scored the equalising goal shortly after Troon had taken the lead. Danny O’Neill scored the winner to make it a happy Christmas for Johnstone Burgh’s travelling support.

Lafferty’s final competitive goal for the club was scored in the 2-0 home win over Shotts Bon Accord in April.

As the Stevie Farrell era started to take shape ahead of the big kick-off against Troon, Kyle Lafferty looked in fine form as he scored two fantastic goals in the 6-2 away win against Darvel in our final pre-season friendly match.

Lafferty’s final match at Keanie Park was an appearance off the bench in the 2-0 win against Troon. His final appearance for the club was a start in the 1-1 draw away to Celtic B on 1st August.

Everyone at the club would like to thank Kyle for the three years of service he gave to Johnstone Burgh, on and off the pitch, where he was a true ambassador for the club. We wish him all the best on his new adventure at Forth Wanderers.

Thanks for the memories, Kyle.

By John Armour

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