Celtic have tracked Dundee goalkeeper Scott Bain for a number of years – and he shone at Parkhead on Saturday.
Dorus de Vries made his first Celtic appearance in over 12 months as the champions welcomed Dundee to Parkhead on Saturday afternoon. It was the performance of another goalkeeper, however, who would have dominated the post-match discussion.
Celtic were more than worthy of a 1-0 win that looks far more narrow on paper. Olivier Ntcham curling home a well-placed second-half strike to get Brendan Rodgers’ side back to winning ways, after last week’s 2-2 home draw with Hibernian.
It was the excellent performance of Scott Bain between the sticks for Dundee, however, that ensured the scoreline remained more than respectable.
Bain stated before the game that Dundee would have to be at 100 per cent away to the league leaders, and the 25-year-old certainly lived up to his end of the bargain.
The highly-rated shot-stopper made a number of superb saves, most notably to deny Scott Sinclair, Leigh Griffiths and Patrick Roberts, before Ntcham’s long-range stunner handed Celtic a deserved breakthrough.
And if The Hoops had been considering renewing their interest in one of Scotland’s most promising ‘keepers, Bain’s performance in Glasgow will not have done his reputation any harm at all.
The Scotsman claimed in 2015 that Celtic were tracking Bain, while the Daily Record reported earlier this year that the shot-stopper was still on the club’s radar with his contract Dundee set to expire in 2018.
As of yet, Bain has not committed his future to the Dark Blues, meaning Celtic should at least consider landing him on a free next summer – by which time De Vries will also be a free-agent, leaving Craig Gordon as The Hoops’ only senior shot-stopper. And as 34-year-old Gordon cannot forever, Bain is a reasonable call to be the veteran’s long-term successor in Glasgow.
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