Scott Sinclair plays first game in Scotland since leaving Celtic

By David Walton

July 15, 2021

Treble-treble winner Scott Sinclair yesterday played his first game back in Scotland since leaving Celtic for Preston.

Sinclair is back up north with the Championship club as they prepare for the new season with a training camp.

The former Celtic invincible is due to return to Parkhead for the first time since he left back in January 2020. Preston will face off against the Hoops on Saturday afternoon in what will be our fourth pre-season game of a hectic schedule.

However, Sinclair played his first match back on Scottish soil last night. Preston came up against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park in what was a 1-1 stalemate.

The winger played the final half-hour of the game with both goals having already been scored at the time. It would prove to be a quiet return to Scotland for Scott, who’ll almost certainly play a big part for Preston on Saturday.

Sinclair won 11 trophies at Celtic and made 167 appearances for the club [Transfermarkt].

Scott Sinclair seems ready for Celtic Park return as Scotland trip concludes

The game on Saturday will see Sinclair play his final match up here before heading back down for the final stages of pre-season.

He remains an important player with his new club, and will be looking to impress at Paradise to stake a claim for the new season.

From our side of things, it will be interesting to see what level Sinclair is operating at. His departure under Neil Lennon certainly split the fan base. Many will feel that he still had some dynamism to offer whilst others believed he was way past his best.

Regardless of what side of the fence you fall on, everyone will agree on the job he did here. He was effectively the poster boy for the Brendan Rodgers revolution. When you think Scott Sinclair, you think total dominance of Scottish football. That’s what he represents as it’s what he played a key role in producing for this football club.

Welcoming him back on Saturday will be incredibly satisfying for a Celtic support that didn’t get to say goodbye. Granted, only 2,000 will attend the game and that’s one of the major downsides. Even so, he’ll still be able to feel the love and warmth of the Hoops fans that are lucky enough to be there.

No doubt he’ll be back up again once capacity crowds are back. He still deserves a massive thank you from the Celtic support.

In other news: REPORT: Chelsea failed in last-minute attempt to lure Bosun Lawal from Celtic