Scottish footballer James Keatings, born 20 January 1992, has had a peripatetic career primarily as a left winger. Standing at 5ft 9in (1.77m) tall and weighing in at 11st (70kg), he's currently providing services to Tranent in the Lowland League.
In July 2009, Keatings made his entry into Premiership-level football when he signed to Celtic. However, his time at Celtic was brief. In January 2012, he transferred to St Johnstone on loan where he made a modest four appearances in his debut season.
Following his stint at St Johnstone, Keatings transferred to Hamilton Academical on loan in August 2012. He made eight appearances and scored two goals during the 2012-2013 season. In the 2013-2014 season, Keatings' contribution notably increased to 30 appearances and 13 goals. After a transfer from Celtic to Hamilton Academical in July 2013, he continued showing promise with performances that earned him a more permanent spot on the team.
July 2014 marked Keatings' transfer from Hamilton Academical to Hearts, where he turned in an impressive 29 appearances with 11 goals in the 2014-2015 season. However, his spell with Hearts was also short-lived, and in July 2015, he ventured to Hibernian. His first season manifested in 28 first team appearances and nine goals, followed by 24 appearances and five goals during the 2016-2017 season.
In July 2017, Keatings moved from Hibernian to Dundee United, where he recorded 16 appearances and three goals. His transfer path led him back to Hamilton Academical in August 2018 for an undisclosed fee. He continued in a steady performance with multiple appearances and goal contributions.
Next up, Keatings moved from Hamilton Academical to Inverness CT in July 2019. After two seasons, he transferred to Raith Rovers in July 2021, swiftly followed by a loan to Montrose in September 2021. However, Keatings was quick to return to Raith Rovers in March 2022 after concluding his loan period.
Keatings' journey continued with him joining Forfar Athletic in July 2022 where he made four first team appearances in the 2022-2023 season. But by January 2023, Keatings made his move again, this time to Tranent. As of the current season (2024-2025), Keatings has not yet made any first team appearances in league matches at Tranent.
Keatings' career has been anything but static, but throughout it, he has shown resilience and adaptability, earning his place in Scotland's complex football matrix. From Celtic to Tranent, his journey has been marked by consistent appearances and goal contributions across multiple clubs and tiers of Scottish football.
