Celtic left back Liam Scales enjoyed a fantastic debut in the Cinch Scottish Premiership when he came on with 15 minutes remaining and put a stamp on a dominant Celtic victory with a late goal.
The summer signing from Shamrock Rovers looked absolutely delighted as he celebrated with the fans in the away end at Tannadice after netting from the edge of the box. It was clear to see by how happy his teammates were while celebrating with him that the young Irishman is a popular figure within the Celtic squad.
Speaking after the game Scales, as reported by Scottish Sun, said: “As a defender you don’t get many chances to run on to the perfect ball on the edge of the box.
“I was just thinking, ‘Shoot’, and thank God it went in the net. It just sat up perfectly for me. I was running at speed so it was just a case of directing it on target. I was buzzing my shot went in. It was a great feeling doing it right in front of the fans. I just kept running towards the supporters. The reception I got was great, I was delighted”.
Watching him celebrate it was clear how much it meant to him. He has not featured as much as many people expected, especially those with a knowledge of the League of Ireland who have been at pains to let other Celtic fans know we have a proper player on our hands. He will be disappointed that he wasn’t chosen to slot into Greg Taylor’s position when the Scot got injured but it was maybe a bit too early for him then.
Talking about trying to get used to the step up in level since joining Celtic, Scales said: “It’s a step up coming to Scotland, especially at Celtic where the physical and technical demands are so high. But I’m learning every day and it’s so enjoyable.
“The standard of the squad, it’s going to be difficult to get chances regularly. There are only 11 spots on the pitch. I can only do my best when I get my chance and I was happy with how it went today. Hopefully I can be involved on Thursday in the European game”.
Discussing Celtic’s busy schedule throughout December leading into the winter break Scales hopes he can be part of manager Ange Postecoglou’s plans as the team strives to reduce the gap at the top of the table as well as win the league cup.
Liam Scales said: “December is a busy month for us, so there will be changes and chances for everyone. I did my best out there when I came on. It’s a different system to what I was playing before, and I suppose it’s a new system for most players here. It did take a few weeks at the start of the season for the gaffer to get his tactics across. But everyone has bought into it and are up to speed with it now.
“It’s a massive month for us as a team, and we are all in it together to make a proper push and hopefully collect as many points as we can. I obviously want to be a part of that.”
Yesterday was no doubt a fairytale debut in the Cinch Scottish Premiership for the Irishman and definitely helped showcase the talent he possesses and both Ange Postecoglou and the Celtic fans will surely have taken notice. Unfortunately with Greg Taylor returning from injury his timing to make such a breakthrough may be unfortunate but he will definitely get game time at some point during the month.
Many will be hoping he gets his chance from the start on Thursday night against Real Betis if the Celtic manager decides to rest players.
Conall McGinty
