Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has delivered a motivational message for the Academy players after Owen Moffat enjoyed a week in the first-team.
Moffat, a star at B Team level and well-liked Academy player for years, made his first appearances for the Bhoys against Ross County and Hibernian, in the Premier Sports Cup Final. With less than an hour of professional football to his name, he has a winner’s medal from Hampden and memories of bedlam from Dingwall.
Postecoglou has admitted that Moffat wasn’t in the picture mere weeks ago. But with injuries to key attacking players, Moffat has been called upon, and hasn’t looked at all out of place.
Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou said [Herald]: “Life is about opportunity. Not just being in the right place at the right time, but also being ready for it.
“Moff probably wasn’t in the calculations two weeks ago, but we just had so many injuries. We brought him into training and he has looked bright. We brought him on the other night and he looked good.
“It was good to have him to be able to throw on at the end there, because I knew Mikey and Kyogo wouldn’t last the distance.
“That, to me, is a lesson for every player out there. You have to be ready for that opportunity. No one is going to write down the date it’s going to come, that’s not how a career goes.”
Ange Postecoglou promised he’d look to Celtic Academy, Owen Moffat is just latest example
Given how many young players Ange Postecoglou has brought up to the Celtic squad this season, it wasn’t even surprising that Moffat was called upon. Adam Montgomery may have made his debut late last season, but he’s seen plenty of game time.
Dane Murray was drafted in against FC Midtjylland. Former Academy players lead the way, like Callum McGregor, Anthony Ralston, James Forrest and, at times, the promising Stephen Welsh. There are players like Tobi Oluwayemi and Bosun Lawal who are sure to have impressed, and could add to that number soon.
It’s a good scene. And the synergy between the different teams is crucial for Ange Postecoglou. With a B Team infrastructure in place, and a shared training complex, the chances are there for Celtic youngsters.
When Darren O’Dea joined the B Team set up from the Academy, he said [Celtic FC]: “The first-team regularly dip into the B team for training numbers.
“It usually happens before training but it can happen during training, so they don’t know when the opportunity is going to come, and that realisation of all the talk we did when they were 16 and they first came in, and the big dreams they had – they’re much closer than what they maybe understand.”
Through the likes of Owen Moffat, that process is becoming a reality with Ange Postecoglou. And why not? With Celtic spending so much on their Academy programme, it makes utter sense. That, and a proud history of creating legends from within the club’s youth ranks.
Moffat could even start tomorrow night against St Mirren. If he does, it’ll be another landmark; not just for him, but for the Academy in general. With Ange Postecoglou suitably impressed, it seems likely.
Read more: Joe Hart on the value of key Celtic man; describes what he’s like at Lennoxtown
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