GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JULY 10: Celtic's Francis Turley scores to make it 6-3 during a pre-season friendly match between Queen's Park and Celtic at the City Stadium, on July 10, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Francis Turley is the third Celtic player to join Ayr United on loan this season.
Interestingly Scott Brown has taken three midfielders on loan to Somerset Park, a position he knows a bit about.
Under the Co-operation Agreement there is a bit of flexibility allowed with young players getting experience at a far higher level than the Lowland League.
THE BRIEF CELTIC DEBUT
Turley made an first team impact in the 2024 pre-season, Scoring against Queens Park, joining the first team trip to the USA then getting a one minute competitive debut away to St Mirren.
Since then it has been almost constant Lowland League football.
Now he has the chance of something more meaningful with Ayr sitting in fourth place in the Championship and looking to nail down a play-off spot.
Brown took Ayr into the play-offs last season and will be looking to progress further this term.
?? The Club are delighted to announce the signing of 20-year-old midfielder, Francis Turley on loan from Celtic until the end of the season.
Welcome to the Honest Men, Francis!#WeAreUnited https://t.co/Rxwko7nfuC pic.twitter.com/oqRhPXgybM
— Ayr United (@AyrUnitedFC) February 27, 2026
Kyle Ure suffered a hamstring injury at the start of November, returned to Celtic for treatment and hasn’t been involved since. Ure started 11 Championship matches and came off the bench twice.
Jude Bonnar has started 11 matches across four competitions topped up by 15 appearances off the bench.
The Ayr experience will have helped both players but a loan next season to a Premiership club next season seems more likely that first team involvement at Celtic.
Across the board the Co-operation Loan agreement seems to have been successful for clubs.
Celtic could have set up deals with clubs in the three other SPFL divisions but have only taken up the Championship option with Ayr.
Next season the Lowland League will spilt into East and West. It remains to be seen if Celtic want to continue at that level into a sixth season.
CLICK HERE for Turley’s Transfermarkt profile and appearances.
It’s been abundantly clear from pretty much the beginning that the Lowland League is no place to develop young players.
Due to our size and also probable family allegiances, we should have almost first pick at a huge amount of young Scottish talent.
We need Scottish talent to comply with EUFA regulations longer term. We also need better quality football teams throughout Scotland.
So, up the scouting at CP and hire the best in terms of quality with a limited, manageable number, pay them a decent wage to keep them ‘sweet’ and loan them out to Scottish Championship and 1st and maybe 2nd division teams and also EFL teams and offer them incentives to improve as well as the main one of one day playing for Celtic FC.
We seem to lose young talent to cherry-picking English teams and also further afield and at a club of what SHOULD be our stature that just should not happen.
Lawwell thought he always knew best and has left a f**king shambles at CP and we won’t recover from his ill-advised control-freakery immediately but we’ve got to start somewhere and start soon, now even.
Off topic, watched the Hearts Dons game the day, absolutely rank rotten the both of them.
How the feck are Hearts where they are? Utter mince against one o the worst teams in the league.
Hearts, Sevco and Celtic are all pretty shite !