Morgan could ‘make impact now at Celtic’
AT THE age of 15, Tony Fitzpatrick overruled his own father the day he chose to sign for St Mirren rather than Celtic.
‘I picked St Mirren because I felt, at that time, I had a better chance of playing first-team football,’ he tells Sportsmail now.
The move to Paisley worked out in the end. A former club captain and manager there, Fitzpatrick has served his first club on and off for 45 years, currently serving as chief executive.
Asked if Lewis Morgan might one day wish that he had also resisted the call from Parkhead, however, he is blunt.
A £300,000 move to Parkhead having been agreed, the Saints chief believes the 21-year-old already has what it takes to play for the Celtic first team.
‘Lewis is a terrific talent, but what sets him apart is his mindset,’ insists Fitzpatrick. ‘He is a strong-minded young man.
‘He is a great lad, he has a plan in his head for what he wants to do and where he wants his career to go as a footballer.
‘He wouldn’t sign for Celtic unless he believed he was going to play in the team. That could be the difference between him and other players who have gone and struggled to make an impact. I believe Lewis could break into Celtic’s first team.’
The fears for Morgan are natural, based on recent precedent. Ryan Christie and Scott Allan made high-profile moves to Parkhead from Inverness Caley Thistle and Hibernian, respectively, and struggled to impose themselves.
Yet Fitzpatrick cites Morgan’s performances for St Mirren over the festive period as evidence of a player with the cojones to make it with Celtic.
Despite all the speculation swirling around him and the constant distraction of headlines about a move up the M8, the former Rangers academy player still managed to score two against Dundee United last Friday night and another against Renfrewshire rivals Morton on Tuesday.
With Morgan poised to remain at St Mirren Park on loan until the end of the season, Fitzpatrick adds: ‘The boy has played two big games for us in the last week.
‘In the Dundee United game especially, he went out there with the television cameras and all the speculation and he has been different class.
‘That’s what he has to handle when he goes to Celtic. He has to deal with that every week. That is the key to anything in any sport. Playing at the very top level of football, it’s the mental side which differentiates the great players.
‘Most footballers are physically fit and have talent. However, the mental side of things is 99 per cent of the battle.’
Handed a first-team debut by Tommy Craig in September 2014 against Celtic, Morgan’s resilience and work ethic quickly caught the eye of former Saints coach Jim Goodwin, currently manager of Alloa.
‘You could see the potential when I was there,’ says Goodwin. ‘And the work ethic. I remember he picked up an injury and he went away and worked incredibly hard in the gym.
‘He got himself a lot bigger than he had been and just got fitter and stronger. The outcome of that is that he has turned out to be a fantastic footballer.’
How good he could go on to be is the question. It needs patience, luck, mental strength and sheer ability.
Fitzpatrick, who has been in or around professional football for the best part of five decades, believes he has what it takes.
‘I’ve played with some great players in my own career,’ he adds. ‘But this boy has two feet and you don’t know what’s his best. He can come in off his left or his right and can score with both.
‘A few clubs have asked my opinion on Lewis in the last year or so. And if I was scouting for a club right now, the boy would be high on my list for one reason — he goes at people.
‘Most players can control and pass the ball. Lewis gets you off your seat as he runs at people and can dribble past them. There are very few modern-day players like that, it’s coached out of them. ‘We are too intent now on keeping the ball. Where are the players who can run at opponents and take them on? That’s still what fans want to watch. It’s still what you need to win trophies and championships. Risk takers.
‘In my opinion, Lewis has most of the things going for him that you look for in a top player.’