TEEN TITANS
Campbell wants to use EK loan to catch Rodgers’ eye and join ranks of youngsters making a name in Celts first team
Celtic youngster Keiran Campbell watched fellow development-squad players Calvin Miller and Kundai Benyu star for the Hoops first team at Kilmarnock on Saturday.
And now he hopes his loan move to East Kilbride can help him follow in their footsteps. The 17-year-old striker joined the Lowland League champions on a development loan last week— and his move comes a month after he played against Kilby in a 3-1 pre-season friendly win at K-Park. That day, Campbell lined up alongside Miller and Benyu, who stepped up to help Brendan Rodgers’ side beat Killie 2-0 at Rugby Park and keep the defending champions top of the Scottish Premiership. He aspires to make the same kind of breakthrough at Celtic Park and believes starring in the Lowland League can take him a step closer to his dream. Campbell told the News: “When Brendan Rodgers came to the club, he said he was going to give a lot of the younger players a chance. “You could see on Saturday that he is doing that. “I played in the same squad as Calvin and Benyu against East Kilbride and I thought Benyu would be in the same position as me this season — going out on loan to get some games. “But he’s done really well and caught the manager’s eye. “That’s what I want to do at EK. “I want to get some game time here and do my best to impress the manager (at Celtic).
“Playing games here is better than sitting on the bench for Celtic.
“I was looking for a move to get some games under my belt and, after playing EK in pre-season and being impressed by them, it made sense to come here.”
Campbell has joined the club until January, but benefits from full-time training with the Celtic development squad. He also remains available for selection for Tommy McIntyre’s under-20s, who play on Mondays or Tuesdays.
Now in his third season with the Hoops after signing from Hamilton Accies, the youngster scored in Celtic’s 4-0 win over Rangers in the 2016 Glasgow City Cup final.
He hopes to take the Lowland League by storm and, ahead of Saturday’s clash away to Gala Fairydean, he is targeting plenty of goals for Billy Stark’s side.
He added: “My aim is to hit 20 goals before I go back to Celtic.
“The manager has said he wants me to lead the line for the team and I’m hoping to play as many games as I can.
“I’ve come off the bench against St Mirren and Hawick so far, but Gala on Saturday will be my third game and hopefully I’ve shown enough to the manager to get a start.”
Kilby boss Stark, an ex-Celts player and coach, said: “He looks lively and we hope to use his pace to get in behind teams.”