Alfie Bavidge has this lunchtime joined cinch League One side Kelty Hearts on loan until January. The striker will go straight into the Kelty squad for their game this evening against Falkirk.

The 17-year-old, who has been involved with the Dons since the age of eight, graduating through the SFA Performance School, turned professional last season and netted close to 40 goals for the Aberdeen U18s. Barry Robson handed him his first team debut in February 2023, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 3-1 win against Motherwell. Alfie has made five first team appearances to date and was part of the squad that travelled to Frankfurt this week. He also scored against Fraserburgh in a pre-season game in July. At international level the youngster from Blackburn, Aberdeenshire has been capped by the Scotland U19s, making two appearances and scoring once. For the U17s, he made five appearances for his country, scoring twice. In May of this year, he agreed a contract extension that will see the forward remain at the club until at least 2026.

Manager Barry Robson added: “Alfie is a young player who has a big future at Aberdeen. I worked with him during his first year as a full time professional and he’s benefitted from training with the first team on a regular basis. This loan will allow Alfie to get important game time and the opportunity to play regularly will help his development significantly as he works towards our first team.”