STEPHEN WELSH has somersaulted from chasing a fourth successive title to facing a bitter battle for survival at KV Mechelen.
The 24-year-old Celtic fringe defender was pitched straight into the first team for a quickfire first appearance in last night’s league encounter against Cercle Brugge, as CQN forecast a week ago.
And the harsh realities of life at the other end of the league table were hammered home as Welsh suffered a 1-0 debut defeat after Filipe Augusto netted the points-clincher shortly after the half-hour mark.
FAREWELL…Stephen Welsh applauds the fans along with Liam Scales, Brendan Rodgers, Luis Palma and Kasper Schmeichel in his final Celtic appearance this season in the 0-0 draw at Tannadice last month.
Boss Besnik Hasi, who replaced the sacked Miron Muslic earlier this season, utilised every available substitute, but the Hoops loan Bhoy played the entire 90-plus minutes for the first time since Brendan Rodgers’ men were held in a scoreless stalemate against Dundee United at Tannadice just before Christmas Day.
Welsh played in the middle of a back three, but could not prevent the eighth loss in 21 league games for his temporary club which leaves them on 27 points.
KV Mechelen are just five points above STVV who sit in 14th place in the 16-team set-up. The bottom four sides enter the relegation split later in the campaign with the 16th-placed club automatically relegated.