Irish Daily Star

Scales thrilled to stay at Celts

- ■ Mark McCADDEN

IRELAND defender Liam Scales has committed his long-term future to Celtic by signing a brand new contract with the Scottish champions.

The Wicklow native’s four-year deal will tie him to the Bhoys until 2028.

Scales joined Celtic from Shamrock Rovers in the summer of 2021 on a four-year deal — and with one year still to run he has put pen to paper on his latest contract.

Scales (25) has made 40 appearance­s so far in all competitio­ns, including six in the Champions League, and he has been capped three times for Ireland.

His senior internatio­nal debut came last October in a 2-0 Euro 2024 qualifying defeat to Greece.

Level

Scales also won six Boys in Green caps at Under-21s level.

During the 2022/23 season he made 39 appearance­s while on loan at Scottish Premiershi­p rivals Aberdeen.

Scales said: “I am delighted to agree this new contract and commit my future to Celtic.

“I have really enjoyed working under the gaffer, and with such a great group of players this year and I look forward to doing so again in the coming seasons.

“I love being part of this great club and I want to do all I can to contribute to Celtic and bring our fans as much success as we can.”

Celtic welcome Hearts to Parkhead today aiming to move closer to successful­ly defending their title.

AT THE HEART OF IT ALL: Cantwell interviews Michael Darragh MacAuley in 2013

programmes that were huge then. I was 12-years-old, thinking: ‘I wouldn’t mind a bit of that’.” Now she was about to get it. As she prepped for her first ever broadcast, her hands were shaking, her voice quivering. But she got through it. Shift over, adrenaline pumping, she walked the three miles back to the city centre, yelping an celebrator­y ‘Yessssss!’ along the way.

Spirit

That night Cantwell found herself and Dublin lost a full-back.

Still it took time for her to walk away because Byrne, and his captain, Christina McGinty, had created a spirit that she loved being part of but when the county changed manager, and the offer to work midweek came around, she recalled the story of Wally Pipp.

Back in the day, Pipp was a first-teamer with the New York Yankees, baseball’s most

Game,

The Sunday storied team.

Then one day, he asked his manager for an afternoon off because he was suffering from a headache.

In his place, the Yankees called up a guy called Lou Gehrig. It would be two thousand, one hundred and thirty games later before Gehrig finally allowed someone else to have his place.

By now he was a household name throughout America, his predecesso­r barely even a name in the Pipp family home.

“You just knew that if you had a chance,” Cantwell says, “you had to take it because if you didn’t, someone else would.”

TV3 called. Cantwell answered, working at the station from 2001 to 2007. Next came RTE, her first Championsh­ip summer coming

 ?? ?? NATIONAL ATTENTION: Joanne Cantwell is the live presenter on
and, as such, the face of Irish sport’s most revered TV programme
NATIONAL ATTENTION: Joanne Cantwell is the live presenter on and, as such, the face of Irish sport’s most revered TV programme
 ?? ?? CONTRACT: Scales
CONTRACT: Scales

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