Stephen Welsh Has Shown He Can Be A Regular Celtic Player Going Forward

Celtic signed Shane Duffy on loan in the summer and he was set to be the answer to our centre half issues. A no nonsense, tough tackling old school defender, Duffy was meant to bring something that we had been missing. A blistering start to life at Paradise saw him score on his debut and nod home an important goal against St Mirren too. However, it’s totally fallen apart for Duffy and Celtic since.

The Bhoys still lack that aggressive style of defender, who is willing to go and attack balls in our box. The ongoing problems from set-pieces showcase that. Yet, it’s not all doom and gloom in the backline as one player has stood out in recent weeks.

Stephen Welsh was handed his Celtic debut against Hamilton last season, after being recalled from his loan spell at Morton. He reportedly played at right back as well as centre half in Greenock, so he has a certain versatility that can benefit us. Beyond that, he has looked solid and comfortable in games. Having scored a beautiful headed goal from a corner recently, Welsh began to perform well and enjoyed a good run in the team. That string of matches was briefly ended when he received a terrible tackle at St Mirren and had to be stretchered off.

Photo: Jane Barlow

Fortunately, the young defender bounced back and returned to the team in equally impressive form. As a 21 year old Celtic fan, who has played for the youth team and grown up in Scottish GAA circles, his temperament was fantastic in the Glasgow Derby. He had already done a steady job in the first derby of the season, but yesterday he played extremely well. Not only was he cool under pressure, but he dealt with Morelos and El Buffalo’s dark arts comfortably. Welsh was always on hand to intercept at the crucial moment and was strong in his aerial duels. It would be fair to say that he didn’t put a foot wrong in the 90 minutes.

Experience and becoming a greater presence, particularly when defending set-pieces, is still to be developed by the player. Perhaps, he could benefit from being alongside a top centre half of that ilk when Ajer moves on, too. However, in a season of defensive disappointment it looks as if Stephen Welsh could be a regular starter for the club moving forward. Certainly, his performance yesterday showed that he deserves to be part of the Celtic rebuild.

About Author

Hailing from an Irish background, I grew up on the English south coast with the good fortune to begin watching Celtic during the Martin O'Neill era. I have written four Celtic books since the age of 19: Our Stories & Our Songs: The Celtic Support, Take Me To Your Paradise: A History Of Celtic-Related Incidents & Events, Walfrid & The Bould Bhoys: Celtic's Founding Fathers, First Season & Early Stars, and The Holy Grounds of Glasgow Celtic: A Guide To Celtic Landmarks & Sites Of Interest. These were previously sold in Waterstones and official Celtic FC stores, and are now available on Amazon.

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