Celtic youngster shines out on loan with 2 Saturday goals

By Euan Davidson

March 5, 2022

Celtic youngster Luca Connell is again making his loan experience count, after his brace for Queens Park saw the Spiders pick up 3 points on the road.

Connell, tipped for eventual Celtic stardom since his move from Bolton, is now in his second season with Queens Park. And in a win over Dumbarton, Connell scored twice. His first was after just 3 minutes, finding himself in space and slotting it home with a typically cool finish [QPFC].

The second took a little more work, but it put the game beyond much doubt for Queens Park. Connell had to quickly follow up on a rebound from his own effort, making no mistake with the Dumbarton keeper flailing.

It was, as ever, excellent work from the young Irishman. In their first season after promotion from the bottom tier, Queens Park are acquitting themselves well. Sitting fourth in the table at the time of writing, draws have been the problem for the Spiders this season [SPFL].

That’s no knock on Luca Connell, though. Thus far, he has 7 goal contributions in 18 outings for the Spiders, and he’s shown his versatility, playing across multiple midfield positions [Transfermarkt]. The challenge for him in the summer will be to secure himself a place in Ange Postecoglou’s plans, or at least find a loan at a top-level club.

Still just 20, there’s a bright future ahead for the thrice-capped Ireland U21 star.

Celtic youngster Luca Connell is making a difference at Queens Park

Composed on the ball, endlessly creative and with a smart strike on him, it surely can’t be too long before he’s reassessed at Celtic.

The situation he faces when he’s back at Lennoxtown though, is different from the one he left. Ben Summers, Ben Wylie and Tsanelo Letsosa have all prospered in the B Team set-up. Ange Postecoglou has expressed his desire to promote talent from within. If Luca Connell wants to be in that conversation, he might need to do even more out on loan.

But that’s for the future. For now, Celtic are benefitting from both loan deals and having a B Team structure, at long last. Brody Paterson, Barry Coffey, Conor Hazard and more are utilising the loan system to theirs, and the club’s, advantage.

For Connell, it’s about ensuring Queens Park finish in that top 4 spot. With excellent backing behind them, the Spiders’ “project” is an interesting one for fans of Scottish football in general. Celtic players have been part of it, with Paterson and goalkeeper Ryan Mullen part of the equation last season.

More of this please, Luca. It might feel like he’s been a Celtic player for a while, but time is on his side, and he has the ability to make huge strides.

Read more: Tom Boyd is very excited about Bosun Lawal’s future at Celtic