GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - SEPTEMBER 01: Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson during a William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park, on September 01, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Celtic’s B team continued their Lowland League campaign with a 3-3 draw away to Cumbernauld Colts on the plastic surface at Broadwood.
Three matches into their Lowland League campaign the young hoops have a record of five points from three matches and a goal difference of 9-8. It is hardly inspiring stuff from matches against Broxburn Athletic, Civil Service Strollers and Cumbernauld Colts.
Last night Celtic led 2-0 at half time, they were 3-1 ahead in the 80th minute then lost goals to a Trialist followed by a 94th minute equaliser to Danny Hatfield.
Sean McArdle and Frances Turley played first team minutes last season, it appears that someone has decided that their development needs are best served by another season in the Lowland League.
The X/Twitter account for the Celtic B team provided three updates for last nights match, team news, a 2-0 half time update then the final score.
Embarrassing losing the 2nd half 3-1 to what is an amateur side. The academy is a laughing stock. It’s time to clear out the whole set-up and start again, too many ppl involved there for 10-20 odd years & not properly contributing while the yield is so poor to the 1st team.
— Candh na daoine ???????????? (@kennybhoy21) August 1, 2025
Amazing as always from @erinwilson164
— Cumbernauld Colts Community Football Club (@OfficialCColts) August 1, 2025
In June 2023 Michael Nicholson explained that the club’s ambitions was to be world class in everything that they do. Presumably that excludes the Academy and development of young players alongside communications with supporters.
The B team gets very little coverage on the Celtic website, scorelines are recorded but there are no match reports or even team lines despite having a vast staff on call to produce cutting edge content whenever a player is signed.
Since the start of May the club website has had two news items on the B team, both of them fixture announcements.
Next up is a match at home to Tranent on August 9 at Airdrie before a step up in opposition with a trip to face Clyde at New Douglas Park in the SPFL Challenge Cup on August 12.
Despite an expected opening date of November 2024 there is still no word from Celtic on when they will open their Barrowfield Training Complex.
Are you happy with Celtic's transfer activity
Absolutely- fantastic business
I will judge on September 1
Horrific- feels like 2023 again
Two ahead at the break thanks to goals from Filip Skorb and Samuel Iziguzo ?#COLCEL | #CelticFC? pic.twitter.com/p6nLbbDdf2
— Celtic FC B (@CelticFCB) August 1, 2025
? Team news from Broadwood ??
Here is how the young Hoops line-up for this evening’s clash against Cumbernauld Colts ???#COLCEL | #CelticFC? pic.twitter.com/tGzYe4lsvd
— Celtic FC B (@CelticFCB) August 1, 2025
I was at the CS Strollers game (dull Tuesday) and while there is talent in the B team, what was visibly missing other than in a spell at the start of the second half was the real drive and determination we need in first team players. But maybe the Lowland League ‘project’ (a word that does a lot of heavy lifting in many contexts involving Celtic) is more about honing skills than winning at all costs…. or maybe we just have to recognise we don’t get the best young players because of the absence of a pathway to first-team football. The lack of a reserve league is a gigantic Mickey Mouse graphic all over their ‘Premiership’.
Editor: The Reserve League ended in 2009. Quite clearly the Lowland League won’t help develop first team players, most players we’ve used move on to join other Lowland League clubs.
Continuing with the Lowland League nothing is going to change, it isn’t pointless, it is ruining the prospects of any players emerging.
And it (The reserve league) ended at the request of ‘Rangers’ before they booted the bucket…
Just like Sevco now – They had to get what they fuckin well want / wanted !
World class at collecting money and keeping in the bank , if that’s their ambition then well done ,but I think the fans and manager have real ambition and I think their patience is just about done
The Club’s attitude to the ” B ” team is baffling and shameful and I wouldn’t know where to begin…so ah’ll no bother.
McArdle and Turley won’t get a sniff as long as Engels is in the shop window – longer than a shop dummy judging by his ‘performances’. Dembele/Vata/Kelly/Cummings/Anderson were all UB40-freed out of contract so someone at Parkhead doesn’t want potential home-reared stars starting 1st team games – all roads point to the heated driveway to Celtic’s Garden ‘Pathway’ although Rodgers has no track record either with youth scheme development at Celtic – Dewsbury-Hall at Leicester City in 2020 is the last youth player he brought through.