15-year-old Rocco Vata makes his Celtic debut

Tommy McIntyre has named a very youthful Celtic side for the Lowland League opener away to Bonnyrigg Rose.

A day after joining the club from Watford Bosun Lawal makes his debut but there is no sign of Joey Dawson who was signed from Scunthorpe during the summer.

At the age of 15 Rocco Vata leads the line for Celtic with the son of Rudi already making waves in the game and an Irish youth internationalist.

The little experience in the side comes in the shape of Ewan Otoo who was on loan at Clyde towards the end of last season and Brody Paterson who helped Queens Park win the Third Division title.

With a clutch of players in Ange Postecoglou’s first team plans to play Preston today there are only four subs on the Celtic bench.

The Bonnyrigg Rose website explained the rules for the Celtic squad:

• Squad lists submitted in advance of the season, adjustments made during designated windows only (probably January).
  • Minimum 22 full-time professional players in the squad.
  • When player plays 5 times for 1st team he can no longer play for B Team until the next window.
  • Maximum age U20 (players born in 2002). One additional U21 outfield and one additional U21 GK may be added to the squad.
  • Clubs may have one player / coach aged 33 or older who cannot play in the clubs first team.
  • Majority of squad must be Scottish.

The 33-year-old coach rules seems very convenient for Darren O’Dea who just happens to have turned 34 in February.

CELTIC: Oluwayemi, Murphy, Lawal, Otoo, Paterson, Wylie, Letosa, Carse, Vata, Davidson, Dobbie

SUBS: Mullen, Robertson, Deane, Jackson