Who is Stuart Findlay
Findlay captained the Celtic u-17 side this season and made an invaluable contribution to the u-19 side starring in the Next Gen victories home and away against Manchester City shortly after his 16th birthday.
Last night he played alongside Kelvin Wilson in central defence and gave his usual assured performance. At 6 foot 2 he’s no slouch in the air and shows great timing in the tackle using the minimum of effort.
“Thanks to everyone for their comments tonight. Best experience of my life and proud to have started for Celtic. #doesntgetanybetter,” he tweeted after the game.
Celtic’s attitude is if you are good enough you are old enough with John Kennedy the perfect example of that.
Kennedy was given his first team debut as a 16-year-old and wasn’t concerned about pitching Findlay in against older players in the Next Gen Series.
Speaking after the 2-0 home win against Manchester City the hoops coach said: “Stuart is a young boy but leading up to the game we had no hesitation in putting him in, we’ve used Jackson (Irvine) in there in recent weeks but we feel that he is a better midfielder.
“He gives you a lot from the middle of the park, Stuart has done well when he’s come in, he’s a young boy, only 16 and people forget that with his size. He is still developing but every game he plays he seems to be getting better and better, that’s what it’s all about.
“These games are to test the boys to the max, it does that and makes them shine, shows what they really have in the locker.”
With Lewis Toshney and Marcus Fraser also pushing towards the first team it looks like there could be some home based players in Celtic’s central defence for years to come.
CELTIC (4-3-3): Forster (Thomson 88); McGeouch, K. Wilson, Findlay, Blackman (McNally 80); Ibrahim (Kidd 66), McCourt, Commons; Watt, Hooper (Johnstone 88), Stokes (Lindsay 76)
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