BARRY FERGUSON didn’t answer yes but the fact that he didn’t say no appeared to say it all. His Heart seems set on Kelty.

The Rangers legend has not been short of offers since stepping down as manager of Clyde last February but none have tempted him back into the dugout. That, though, could be about to change.

His discussions with the New Central Park board have been both in-depth and enlightening for Ferguson and he is now on the verge of a return to the touchline.

He has yet to shake hands or put pen-to-paper but as he spoke at the launch of the Star Sixes in Glasgow on Wednesday afternoon, it was clear there was more than just an interest in the position with the Lowland League outfit.

“I spoke with a couple of clubs over the last seven to ten days,” Ferguson said. “I’ve decided one just matched the ambition.

“It took me aback if I’m honest, it blew me away. But I’ve got things going on outside in terms of media and commitments going into next summer.

“So I’ve had to go away and try to sort them out. They’ve been good enough to let me do that. Nothing has been agreed, I’m still talking to them.

“Over the 16 months I’ve been out of management I’ve had various offers to go back in but has made me that excited and get that bit between my teeth.

“Out of respect I spoke to clubs. I went to speak to them and their ambition and drive didn’t shock me but it was right up my street.

“They’ve given me time to go away and try to sort out stuff I’ve got organised over the next six to eight months.

“I’m not going to keep them holding on. There will be an answer before the end of the week.”

Having failed to take Clyde out of League Two during his stint at Broadwood, Ferguson will be tasked with guiding Kelty into the fourth tier of the professional ranks should he sign on the dotted line in the coming days.

The attraction – in terms of his name and his experience – is clear for Kelty. From Ferguson’s perspective, there are a number of boxes that have been ticked, too.

He said: “They have got a full pathway through the club from 5-year-olds to 20s, they have got a successful 20s team, they have just started a Woman’s team, they are revamping their full pitch, as you probably know.

“They have got planning to build two new stands and they have got a clear vision of where they want to go. Other clubs I spoke to didn’t have a clear vision.

“It is about taking them to where they want to go and they want to be the best they can be.

“It just ticked the boxes for me. I have not given an answer yes, I have not given a no.

“I had to go away and sort a few things out. Over the next 24, 48 hours there will be a decision made.

“I have got to say that the way it is run, the board and the chairman, I was really impressed with them.”

There were eyebrows raised when Ferguson opted to start his managerial career in League Two rather than look to enter the game at a higher level four years ago. It was to his credit that he was willing to drop down the ladder, though.

The Lowland League is even further away from the stage where Ferguson made his name and spent the majority of his career but the love of the game and a desire to get back in is the 40-year-old’s only concern.

Ferguson said: “I had a few people saying to me when it came out, how it did I don’t know but that is another thing, why are you going to that level?

“Well, you know what? I can’t pick and choose. I just want to go and coach and try and make people better.

“They showed an ambition and drive that excited me. Other clubs were great but they didn’t show the same ambition as them.

“I have been out 16 months and I have went and watched a lot of football, spoke to a lot of managers and been to a lot of clubs, whether that be down south or abroad. I have been to a lot of places in America. I need to do things differently to I did before.

“I was highly strung and demanding. Listen, I will still demand but I need to reign it in a wee bit. I have learned lessons, I am not embarrassed to say that.

“I am excited about it and hopefully I can get something sorted. If I can’t, I just need to move on.”

It seems more like when, not if, that Ferguson will be unveiled as the Jambos’ new boss and start writing the next chapter in his career. It is a twist few would have foreseen.

Kelty will be appointing one of the finest, and most successful, players of his generation and a man that captained club and country. They will also be getting an improved boss as Ferguson looks to learn the lessons from his Clyde career.

“I wouldn’t say I was bruised,” he said. “I was uptight, I was a frustrated guy.

“You get injuries and you can’t sort that out by bringing players in and there were a lot of things. I have learned not to take it back into the house.

“I was taking a lot of it back and becoming this guy that I was when I was 25 again, which isn’t great! I have learned all that and I am not embarrassed to say that.

“I have spoken to a lot of people about it. I would certainly do things a bit different but I will still have the passion. Whether it is playing in the Star Sixes, whether I was a player or a manager, I will still have passion. I want to win and that will never come out of me, never.”