GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - AUGUST 23: Peter Lawwell (L) and Michael Nicholson at full time during a William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and Livingston at Celtic Park, on August 23, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Gala Fairydean Rovers are the latest team to beat Celtic B in the Lowland League. On Airdrie’s plastic pitch the part-times from rugby’s heartland beat Celtic 2-1.
After 19th matches at the 5th/6th level of the Scottish game Celtic B have a record of Won 7, Drew 5 and Lost 7 with a goal difference of -5.
Celtic B are in their fifth season playing in the Lowland League, only Colby Donovan has emerged to make more than two starting appearances in the SPFL Premiership.
NO DEVELOPMENT
Over the last 18 months Celtic have spent a small fortune redeveloping Barrowfield into an impressive training base complete with a full sized indoor pitch.
It is hard to see what benefits are coming from that investment.
Celtic do have three players out on loan, playing regularly in the SPFL Championship. While they are making steady progress it is unlikely that any of them will be pushing for a first team place next season.
Of course at this level it isn’t all about results. But sitting in mid-table and trailing Clydebank by 20 points it is a stretch to see any first team players emerging from the current squad.
Honesty what is the point in our B team, constantly gets beat and doesn’t produce any players. Club is a shambles from top to bottom at the minute
— Matthew Shevlin (@Shevy_84) December 13, 2025
In midweek Celtic B lost 4-0 at Ross County to go out of the SPFL Challenge Cup. Following on from defeats to East Kilbride, Edinburgh City, Alloa Athletic and Edinburgh City.
The failure to develop players into full time professionals has a knock on effect.
LOWLAND TURN OFF
Teenagers from Celtic families are loathe to sign professional terms when there is no obvious pathway at Celtic or safety net into the professional game.
Stephen O’Donnell, Marcus Fraser and Stuart Findlay all fell short of making it at Celtic. They have gone on to make good careers for themselves, two made it into the Scotland team.
Telling the current crop of prospects that they could become the next Callum McGregor is wearing thin. Aaron Hickey, Ben Doak and Lennon Miller all opted out.
There is no obvious solution but it is clear that continuing with the Lowland League isn’t doing anyone any favours.
From now until May Celtic have 15 more matches left to play.
Anyone with any potential will want to get out on loan, playing in meaningful matches in the SPFL. Francis Turley is playing at this level for the third season running. His career is going backwards rapidly since his brief first team appearance at St Mirren in August 2023.
Celtic are able to set up Co-operation arrangements with clubs in League 1 and 2, allowing three players to go out on loan to each club.
It is probably telling that arrangements can’t be made to send players on loan to the part-time clubs at that level.
Developing Academy players through to Champions League level is part of Paul Tisdale’s remit as Head of Football Operations.
It isn’t known if Michael Nicholson, Peter Lawwell or Ross Desmond attended today’s match.
#CELGAL Team news ?
Here is how the young Hoops line-up for this afternoon’s match against Gala Fairydean Rovers ???#CelticFC? pic.twitter.com/f1GPdHZLhi
— Celtic FC B (@CelticFCB) December 13, 2025
Pretty much reflects the ambition and leadership of the shysters “running” our club at the minute. Utterly woeful.
Turley, Fra cis Turley? If it is, he has made no progress one way or the other.
A damning indictment on the way our Club is being run!
My young nephew plays for the Academy at a younger age level and his father is regularly challenging his coach over his prehistoric artitudes and ways of playing. It is ultra cosy in there, from Chris McCart down, and is crying out for root and branch change and general clearout of coaches and staff.
The worry I have is if the **ns sort their academy out before we get on top of ours we could be in real bother. I don’t know what that white elephant up by the Campsies costs us but it produces nothing.With the amount of injuries we have had this season coupled with the lack of investment in the first team if you can’t push through this season your as well shutting the place down. And wtf was the point in redeveloping barrowfield it must have been just to compound the misery.
Time to scrap the B team ,send every player out on loan ,see how they fare ,if they can’t make it as first team player in the teams they are loaned out to ,which will be first division or lower league english teams what’s the point of them being at celtic ,celtic no longer have the pick of the elite young talent and the boys who are there are just not good enough and will never have a decent shot of playing in the first team ,time to end it .
It’s embarrassing the lack of care coming from the board. Rather than playing in this Low as you get League, Celtic has the money available to build some sort of training centre abroad somewhere like Sardinia. I’d send the 17-20 year old out there with a few good coaches, drill them how to play the game, play some competitive friendly matches against first teams on international breaks, pre season and mid term breaks. Even send the first team out to play them when possible. Anything is better than the status quo, and absolutely anything is worth a shot. Get them out of Scotland and learn the trade.
Club is a shambles
Spur-on our A Team at Hampden Park:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV5_LQArLa0.
Clachnacuddin FC would hammer Celtic B !