In 24 first team appearances for Celtic it’s fair to say that Ross Wallace didn’t pull up many trees.
Given his debut by Martin O’Neill before being tried as a left back by Gordon Strachan the Dundonian left quietly in August 2006 for Sunderland in a double deal that included Stan Varga.
By the end of his first season Wallace had picked up a Championship winners medal as he embarked on a career that has racked up more than 300 appearances between the top two divisions in England.
Last season at the age of 29 he made 14 substitute appearances for Burnley in the Premier League before signing a 12 month deal for Sheffield Wednesday in the summer.
Wednesday opened their campaign with a 2-0 win over Bristol City at the weekend with club captain, former Celt, Glenn Loovens, looking forward to the campaign ahead.
“Every game is tough in England, you can’t afford to slack off and need to be at your best every game,” the defender said.
“We have competition as well so if you slack off the manager is ready to put the next one in. That’s what it is all about. Competition keeps everyone on their toes and helps the team progress. We keep each other sharp.
“I’m glad we strengthened the squad. Hopefully we can keep each other going. It’s still early doors but I can feel the atmosphere is good. We have brought in some very good players. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to get used to each other but the players are adapting very quickly so it’s only going to get better from here.
“The Championship, particularly, is a physical battle so I have told the new guys to prepare for that.”
Between his Premier League stints with Sunderland and Burnley Wallace made two seasons at Preston where he picked up his only Scotland cap, in a friendly against Japan.
WELL DONE