Celtic goalkeeper Ross Doohan is making a big impression on loan with Tranmere Rovers after his 5th clean sheet in 11 starts.
Doohan took his place between the sticks against Crawley Town on Saturday in the FA Cup. Things went to plan too as he managed to bag a shutout in a big 1-0 win for the League Two club.
The victory ensures Tranmere progress into the second round of England’s most famous cup competition. However, more importantly from a Celtic perspective, it’s yet another boost for Doohan, who had already racked up 4 previous clean sheets in League Two competition.
After having to bide his time at the beginning of the campaign, Micky Mellon has thrown him into action and been pleased with how he’s coped. Speaking to Tranmere’s official YouTube channel post-match, Mellon took the time to hail Doohan’s display at Crawley:
“I think as a manager you look at the game and you have got to look at outcomes. Today, I think he had one save to make and, [knowing] the quality of the goalkeeper he is, he made that very well.
“So we are pleased with that.”
Ross Doohan putting building blocks in place as he eyes Celtic return
Back in the summer, Doohan stated that he wasn’t ready to give up on his Celtic dream. Despite having a contract that runs until the summer of 2022, the Scottish talent said he spoke to Ange Postecoglou and they agreed his next step was regular game-time elsewhere [Scottish Sun].
And that’s the situation Doohan now finds himself in. Playing regularly in a competitive league that will undoubtedly test where he’s truly at.
It looked grim at the start of the season when he was struggling for minutes. Despite being brought to the club by Mellon, he was still sitting behind Joe Murphy in the pecking order.
After spells on loan at Ross County and Dundee United, Doohan needed this move. At 23, the time is now to be playing regular football. He just wasn’t getting that at his previous 2 clubs.
It was Mellon that took Doohan to United of course, meaning there was already a prior connection there. He clearly impressed enough to bag this particular move, and you can’t say he isn’t making the most of it.
Where that will leave him when he returns to Glasgow in the summer is anyone’s guess at the moment. But he’s succeeding in his pre-season goal of regular minutes. And with a growing clean sheet record to back it up, Doohan can feel pretty satisfied about how he’s going about things in the final year of his Celtic contract.
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