McIntyre raves about Celtic kid's "Golden ticket"; reflects on youngster's unusual TV cameo

By Euan Davidson

December 17, 2021

Celtic B Team boss Tommy McIntyre has raved about youngster Owen Moffat and his appearance in the Hoops’ win over Ross County.

Moffat, a star for the Celtic B Team this season, made his Celtic debut on Wednesday night. And he couldn’t have done so in more dramatic circumstances. The Bhoys secured three points right at the death in Dingwall.

This week, with attention on Moffat ramping up, a clip of the youngster as a 9-year-old on Irish TV has re-emerged. Via Li’l Ze on Twitter, Moffat can be seen scoring a goal at Barrowfield, to an impressed Nicky Byrne of Westlife. It was part of a programme called Football’s Next Star on RTÉ.

McIntyre reflected on Moffat’s appearance for the Celtic first-team, and noted how far he’d come. He said [Celtic FC]:

“To me that’s the golden ticket, going from the B Team to the First Team. Owen Moffat’s worked really hard, and the opportunities have arisen for him. He was ready and he jumped right in.

“Owen’s come on and he did well, which it’s great for him, us and the Academy.

“When you put it into perspective and when you look at [the Football’s Next Star clip], how far he’s come and making his debut, that’s the perfect example to other young players.”

Success of Celtic Academy players like youngster Owen Moffat reflects well on hard-working Tommy McIntyre

It must be amazing for Tommy McIntyre. A Celtic youngster you’ve worked with daily being recognised on a big stage has to be satisfying. Especially when they contribute to a win that’s left the whole league rattled.

With the introduction of a proper B Team infrastructure, and competitive football in the SLFL, it’s no wonder players are more ready to make the step up. Moffat didn’t look remotely uncomfortable against Ross County.

Surely, it’s a source of pride not just for McIntyre, but the club in general. 7 former Academy players have been involved in league action this season. 9 have been involved in all competitions. That’s a rapid improvement on previous campaigns.

Perhaps it was Nicky Byrne from Westlife’s wisdom in 2012 that made the difference. Byrne, before music came calling (and we’re using “music” loosely) was actually a youth talent for Leeds United in the mid-90s. He even won a trophy with the Leeds youngsters, but was let go [IMDb].

In any event, Moffat surely has a first-team future. Tommy McIntyre will want to use him again in the B Team. But it appears the attacker is another one who’s destined for bigger things.

And that, really, is the entire point of the great work McIntyre and co have been doing.

Whether they were blasting Westlife at Lennoxtown this week is another question entirely.

Read more: Report: Former Celtic transfer guru Nick Hammond lands fantastic role with Premier League club