Former Celtic captain and club legend Scott Brown played a significant role in a recent loan departure from the Hoops.
Goalkeeper Josh Clarke, who gained wide acclaim for his quartet of penalty saves at Ibrox in last season’s Glasgow Cup final for the B team, joined Brown’s Ayr at the end of last month.
The move came out of the blue, but Clarke has recently revealed that his new gaffer played a big part in it. “The manager has obviously played a significant role in me coming here”, the stopper told That’s TV Scotland.
“He was a fantastic player at my parent club Celtic so the opportunity to come and play for a well-respected side in Ayr United and him is brilliant for me and a great opportunity.”
So far with The Honest Men, Clarke has made five appearances in the Championship. He has played his part in victories over Partick Thistle and Inverness, but not yet kept a clean sheet.
A Northern Irish youth internationalist, the ‘keeper was born in London and is eligible to represent Sweden.
His contract at Celtic runs until the summer, and one wonders whether he will be handed an extension to the two-year deal he signed in 2022.
Tonight, though, the 19-year-old’s focus will be on the pitch. Brown’s Ayr take on Airdrie and fans can watch Clarke in action live on the BBC.