It's over a year now since ex-Derry City bhoy Paddy McCourt arrived at Celtic and after a man-of-the-match performance in his first full competitive match for the club it seems that McCourt may just have a chance of making it at Celtic after all. His performances in the reserves have earned Pat rave reviews over the last twelve months and he's been working hard in training to build up his strength and stamina as he endeavours to secure a first team slot. His terrific mazy run from well inside his own half which saw him score Celtic's third goal in the 4-0 win over Falkirk in the Co-operative Insurance Cup tie had the Celtic fans ecstatic and the Paddy McCourt Fan Club continues to grow.
"He's a wonderful talent, there's no doubt of that," said PeterGrant. "He can carve chances for himself, he can create them for others and he does it consistently well. People will always question what he's not got, but you always like to look at the positives. He can get by players and he proved that, even in the Wembley tournament against top-quality players."
"There's no doubt he's got a tremendous ability and there's not a lot of people like him." added Tony Mowbray's assistant coach. "Hopefully, he'll have a big part to play with the talent he has. If he doesn't, he should be asking questions of himself."
Celtic team-mate, and fellow ex-Derry bhoy, Niall McGinn knows McCourt better than most. "It was good that Paddy got 90 minutes at Falkirk and he showed the fans what he could do," said McGinn. "Paddy is a bit special, he gets the ball deep and runs at defenders and his close control is unbelievable. It's good having a player like that in the team because it's something you don't really find too often."
"He was like me, he just needed a good pre-season and to stay away from injuries." said McGinn, who has also gained some first team action recently. "He is one of a kind, he is a different player because of the ability he has on the ball and taking on defenders. To have a player like that around the training ground helps the likes of me, you can always learn something. The few months I was with him at Derry, I saw how good he was and in the time we have been here, he has got even better. If Paddy gets a few games to get going, he is up there with the best. His style of play makes him so hard to play against."
Barry Robson returned to first team action at Falkirk and the flame-haired midfielder also took time out to compliment his Irish team-mate. "Paddy was outstanding and his goal was sensational." said Robbo. "He is a talented kid and showed how much ability he has. It is hard coming over to this club with so much expectations but he has everything to do very well here. Paddy's problem has been trying to adapt to the pace of the game but he has been working incredibly hard on his fitness and is looking much fitter now. The amount of running on the ball he does makes him look tired when tracking back but he is coming on stronger and should be proud of the way he played."
Former Celtic forward Frank McAvennie is also a big fan of McCourt and he's glad that the Northern Ireland international is finally showing that he's ready to stake a claim for first team football. Aiden McGeady suffered an ankle knock against Falkirk and will not travel to Paisley for tomorrow's SPL fixture against St Mirren which might mean a first League start for Paddy. "The guys Tony brought in, like McCourt, are wonderful players." said Macca. "I don't know how long it takes this guy to get fit. It used to take me a couple of weeks, he has been unfit for about two years now! He must have been really unfit. By all accounts McCourt could step in and it would be great to see him if McGeady is not playing because he has got a talent, I've seen him in training. What he did down at Wembley, when he went by four players, I've not seen that for a while."