How Celtic showed up in first friendly clash - injury concern, real star of the show, Ayr put Rangers to shame

As the match programme for this 1-1 gala friendly against Celtic pointed out, the £2 million refurbishment represents the biggest capital investment in the club’s 114-year history.

It was fitting the champions of Scotland should be invited to open it. Although Celtic scored the first official goal in front of the new structure, Ayr United quickly equalised. It was a tale of two penalties. Kyogo Furuhashi and Anton Dowds traded well-taken efforts in the first half. The latter’s conversion was particularly nonchalant as he stroked the ball down the middle of Scott Bain’s goal.

The new stand has 748 seats. Nearly enough for every substitute who took to the field here. Celtic even used three goalkeepers, with Josh Clarke, who was on loan at Ayr last season, replacing Tobi Oluwayemi in the second half. He made a good save from Ayr substitute Frankie Musonda with ten minutes left to stop the hosts obtaining the win they craved on such a special occasion.

It’s not often the landscape of Scottish football undergoes literal change. Renovations do need to happen of course, as Rangers are finding out to their cost. But an entire new stand springing up is certainly noteworthy and interest was underlined by the impressive attendance of around 9,500. Celtic fans were still trying to get in as the minutes ticked down before half time.

The Ayr United Tannoy announcer could still be heard pleading with the away fans to move further down the terrace to let their fellow supporters in ten minutes before the break. Were they all here to admire the new structure? Maybe not. If it was new signings that interested them, they were disappointed. Celtic have still to make a signing worth the name this summer.

Kyogo and perhaps winger Nicolas Kuhn were the only players in their starting line-up who are likely to be on the pitch for flag day against Kilmarnock next month. Three teenagers started and another, 19-year-old Lenny Agbaire, soon joined the trio of Josh Dede, Kyle Ure and Andrew Kyle.

Centre-half Stephen Welsh took the armband and he had Maik Nawrocki for company beside him. Well, for a short while at least. The Polish defender just cannot catch a break at Celtic. He was forced off after 17 minutes and was replaced by Agbaire, who sadly was at fault just 25 or so minutes later when George Oakley rolled him with considerable ease. Agbaire upended the former Morton striker in his eagerness to atone for the mistake. Dowds stroked the ball home to make it 1-1. It wasn’t quite a Panenka but it was near enough to be put in mind of such a memorable Euros moment.

Kyogo’s earlier penalty after 22 minutes – after Ayr skipper Ben Demspey was penalised for a clumsy challenge on Odin Holm – was a more straightforward tucked-into-the-corner effort.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers made ten substitutions at half-time. Only first-half sub Agbaire remained on the pitch. It meant being able to run the rule over Bosun Lawal, the young Irish midfielder who caused a stir on loan at Fleetwood Town last season. He looked promising but Ure caught the eye more in the opening 45 minutes.

The star of the show? Well, sorry, but it remained the new stand. Cover on all four sides of the stadium has meant realising a dream dating back to 1933, when the then club chairman Alex Moffat made the point while opening the Railway End enclosure that it was the ambition of the directors to “fully enclose the park”.

At around 7.41pm on 5 July 2024 that finally happened, with chairman David Smith’s elderly parents having the honour of cutting the ribbon. The young Smith would stand with dad Alex on the north terracing.

Some of this terracing remains but it has been complemented by a new stand above. A cantilevered roof canopy shelters the new seats as well as those standing on the steps below, not that this was required here. The bright sunshine Ayr had ordered for the historic occasion arrived as planned. It illuminated a pleasing scene where old met new, and we are not just talking about Rodgers’ first dugout meeting with Scott Brown.

The main stand at Somerset Park was designed by revered stadium architect Archibald Leitch and opened in September 1924, which means another special occasion is imminent at this stadium. What a season it would be if Brown could now lead Ayr up.