Elgin City v Kelty Hearts — prediction, stats and goal analysis

League Two · Saturday, 15 August 2026 · 15:00. Final score 4–1 (half-time 1–0). Before kick-off we rated it 52% over 2.5 goals — the match finished with 5, so that call landed. That rating was frozen into a version-controlled ledger before the game and has not been touched since.

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Our ratings for this match

MarketYesNoOur call
Over 2.5 goals52%48%Over
Over 3.5 goals27%73%no pick
Both teams to score59%41%Yes

The result model puts Elgin City at 40%, the draw at 26% and Kelty Hearts at 34%, from expected goals of 1.37 and 1.25.

Bookmaker prices and where we differ

MarketPriceImpliedOur ratingEdge
Over 2.5 goals1.8551%52%+1%
Under 2.5 goals1.9549%48%-1%
Both teams to score1.6756%59%+3%

Implied percentages have the bookmaker's margin removed, so they add to 100 and can be compared with our rating directly. Edge is simply the gap between the two. A positive edge means our model thinks the outcome is likelier than the price suggests — it is not a tip, and a high probability with a negative edge is a poor bet however safe it looks. Prices are a pre-match snapshot from a single bookmaker and move constantly.

Match odds: Elgin City 2.30, draw 3.50, Kelty Hearts 2.55.

How we got this number

The league sets the starting point. League Two has produced over 2.5 goals in 57% of its matches, and that is where a team with no record of its own would sit.

Each side's own record. Elgin City have 1 in 2 this season (0 of 1 at home), Kelty Hearts 1 in 2 (0 of 1 away). Those records are pulled toward the league rate with the weight of about 32 matches — enough that two or three unusual games cannot swing a rating — giving 55% and 55%.

Last season still counts, briefly. With 2 and 2 games played this season, last season's rates are still blended in and fade out entirely by game 14 — the point at which our testing showed they stop adding accuracy. That moves the two figures to 55% and 51%.

The mix. Weighted 40% home side, 40% away side and 20% league — the split that beat every alternative across 30,582 matches of testing — that gives 54%.

Goal expectation. Separately a Poisson model built from attack and defence strength — using real expected-goals data where the league has it — puts this match at 49%, from expected goals of 1.37 for Elgin City and 1.25 for Kelty Hearts. Folding in 30% of that view gives 52%.

This breakdown is generated from the same inputs the rating uses, so it cannot describe a calculation we did not perform. The full model is set out in the methodology.

Season form

TeamGamesO2.5O3.5BTTS
Elgin City250%50%50%
Kelty Hearts250%50%50%

Head to head

30 Nov 24Elgin City 3–2 Kelty HeartsO2.5
16 Jul 24Elgin City 1–1 Kelty HeartsU2.5
19 Mar 22Elgin City 0–0 Kelty HeartsU2.5
5 Feb 22Kelty Hearts 4–0 Elgin CityO2.5
25 Jan 22Elgin City 2–0 Kelty HeartsU2.5
11 Sept 21Kelty Hearts 1–1 Elgin CityU2.5

More: Elgin City season stats · Kelty Hearts season stats · League Two table and form. Ratings are calibrated probabilities, not tips — a 60% call is expected to miss two times in five.