STALYBRIDGE Celtic have signed highly-rated young Huddersfield Town striker Conor Falls on loan for the remainder of the season.
Falls, 18, who made his debut as a substitute in the goalless draw at bottom-club Grantham Town on Saturday (March 19), will help offset the departures of strike duo Scott Bakkor and Ntumba Massanka.
The current Northern Ireland Under-19 player, who missed games against Mickleover and Atherton Collieries because he is away on international duty, was signed by the Terriers in the summer of 2020 from Glentoran.
Falls, who scored 26 goals during his debut season in 2020-21, was rewarded last summer with a two-year professional contract.
Celtic’s cutting edge was blunted by the departures of Bakkor and Massanka.
But chairman Rob Gorski explained both moves were initiated by third parties.
Team captain Bakkor, who has joined Warrington Rylands, returned to Celtic from Witton Albion for a second spell last summer, but scored only five goals in 30 games in the current campaign.
Mr Gorski, who described Bakkor as a personal favourite, admitted the move second time around did not work out.
“Rylands approached us. Scott lives in Warrington so it is closer to home, and they offered him a deal he couldn’t refuse,” he said.
Bakkor is returning to Rylands, where he played as an 18-year-old at the start of his career.
Massanka, meanwhile, was signed from South Shields in January on loan until the end of the season.
However, he was recalled by Shields at the end of February and the following day signed for National League North club Boston United the following day.
Massanka, 25, made seven appearances, mainly from the bench, scoring once.
Mr Gorski explained Massanka, who spent four years as a professional at Burnley, was struck down by a bout of tonsilitis shortly after arriving which impeded his progress.
Celtic have also signed 17-year-old left back Josh Edwards on a youth loan from Stockport County and midfielder Sam McLintock on a one-month loan from FC Halifax Town.
They have helped strengthen a squad decimated by injury and the loss of loan players.
For the recent home defeat by Warrington Town, Celtic had four players featuring for the first time.
Danny Adigun, who had been training with the club, made his debut at right back and on the bench were academy pair Khalid Kharufa and Connor Leach and trialist centre back Derek Ubah.
Celtic have lost loanees Matt Liptrott and Jay Fitzmartin who have been recalled by Blackpool and Bolton respectively while Liverpool goalkeeper Liam Hughes is out for the season after breaking his sternum in a car crash.
Hughes, Celtic’s ninth different goalkeeper, has been replaced by Grant Shenton who returned after an absence of more than six months through injury.
Striker Raul Correia and left-sided Stephen Brogan returned after injury at Grantham where Celtic ended a run of five straight league defeats which has seen them plummet to fourth bottom.
Celtic are nine points clear of the relegation places, but second bottom Witton Albion have played one less match.
Manager Simon Haworth is confident Celtic won’t be sucked into a battle for survival.
He said: “Our starting team is good enough to pick up the four or five points we need to make sure we are mathematically safe and not looking over our shoulders.
“Grantham are bottom and have had some good results recently, but probably have too much to do. And Witton would have to probably win four or five of their remaining matches to have a chance of staying up.
“I know how difficult that is to do from personal experience when we were near the bottom and had to win out last game of the season to stay up (2018-19).
“The car crash Liam Hughes was involved in typifies our season which has been a challenge.
“Apart from injuries, we have lost the likes of Scott and Ntumba, two good strikers, and not had the money to replace them.”
Haworth believes with a strong finish Celtic, currently 19th, could ended up between 11th and 14th place which would be a “decent season”.
“We had a couple of good spells when we threatened the play-off places but, with what we have to spend, have to be realistic and it is hard to maintain,” he said.
“The top five teams in the league will be the ones you expect because of their budgets and our finishing position will probably reflect where we should be.”