THE entire Celtic team were disappointed by the abrupt end to last season, none more so than Stephen Welsh who had made his first-team debut in February and was hoping for more playing time during the remainder of the campaign.

After making his first-team debut on February 2 in Celtic’s 4-1 away win to Hamilton Celtic’s latest Academy graduate had ambitions of further playing time before they were dashed when the season was brought to an abrupt halt in March.

That breakthrough came on February 2 in Celtic’s 4-1 away win to Hamilton Accies, and the central defender impressed in his first outing. Now, having enjoyed pre-season with Neil Lennon’s first-team squad, the 20-year-old is looking forward to the competitive football starting and is ready to play his part as and when required.

“This was the third pre-season I’ve been on with the first-team and the biggest difference this year has been the level of opposition we’ve played,” said Welsh in an exclusive interview with the Celtic View. “Usually we’ll play a few local, lower level teams in Austria but this summer we were facing Champions League sides like Lyon and PSG.

“That’s what we need going into this season. They were preparing for Champions League games and cup games so they were around the same stage of preseason as us. I felt we did okay in the games, especially younger boys like myself. I thought everyone handled it really well.”

Welsh believes the experience of playing against such high-level opposition in pre-season will be hugely beneficial for his development, and he is hopeful that it will help him chase down his goals this season.

“We’ll learn more in that 60 minutes against opposition like that than we would two or three games against opposition teams,” said Welsh. “I feel a lot more comfortable in and around the players because I’ve been involved with the first team for a couple of years now. That time around them means you become familiar with the expectations on and off the pitch. It’s about working hard every day.

“The expectation at the club is absolutely massive. I’ve been here since I was eight-years-old so I’m aware of the standards and the targets which is three points in every game. That’s what it’s all about at a top club like Celtic.”

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Celtic View Interview: Stephen Welsh hungry for more opportunities