Celtic youngster Joey Dawson has been discussing the circumstances that led to his surprise debut for the senior team against St Johnstone on Sunday afternoon.
Dawson was brought into the first half of the victory at the expense of star Kyogo Furuhashi, who was taking no risks with his hamstring.
The 18-year-old acquitted himself well and drew praise from manager Ange Postecoglou after the match. The entire week has been a whirlwind for the former Scunthorpe player, as he explained to Celtic TV.
Dawson said: “Tommy McIntyre, the B team manager, rang me on the 23rd and he said obviously I can’t go home for Christmas because the first-team might need me. There was a bit of disappointment but it was bittersweet because it’s all worth it today.
“It’s unbelievable and such a proud moment for me and my family. I’ve come a long way in a short space of time, so I just need to stay grounded and keep working hard to hopefully get more appearances.
“It’s massive for me making my Celtic debut at such a young age, it’s a great honour but now I need to keep working hard.
“Honestly, I probably didn’t think the debut would come this season, but in football, anything can happen. So that’s why I always have to be ready to take my chance and hopefully I did that today.”
The likelihood is that Dawson will spend the majority of the rest of the season with the B team. As he admits, this is a very early call up for him after making progress under McIntyre.
That’s no disgrace though. Working with other talents such as Owen Moffat and Rocco Vata, there are exciting partnerships to build there.
Hopefully, this experience has served him well and helps him edge close to a permanent promotion to the first-team.
In other news, The latest on Kyogo, the Japan FA and a huge Celtic derby.
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