STALYBRIDGE Celtic manager Chris Willcock has been explaining the need to bring in seven new players over the last month which helped arrest a worrying run of seven successive league defeats.
Celtic broke the sequence with a home goalless draw against Marine and then posted a first league win in nine attempts in the basement battle at Whitby Town on Saturday, October 22. Had Celtic lost again, they would have slipped into the relegation places.
“We felt we needed new faces who were not as low on confidence and players who could make an impact on the team’s confidence,” explained Willcock.
“The four players who made their debuts at Ashton United have all done that and have made a difference.”
Desperate times called for desperate measures and four of the newcomers were signed in the aftermath of the home defeat by Marske United, a sixth straight league loss, when Willcock admitted his job was on the line.
Willcock admitted it has been the most difficult period in his long managerial career as he had never lost more than two consecutive games previously.
“It has been very challenging for me and made me look at different approaches and my management style to try and get more out of the players and give them confidence,” he said.
Three of the new players, Scott Holding, Dylan Moonan and Matty Carson, made the starting line-up for the derby defeat at Ashton United, a seventh league defeat in a row, with Nathan Caine on the bench.
The need for defensive reinforcements saw Holding, 19, arriving on a one-month loan from Championship club Watford.
Holding, signed for Watford in May from Stockport County where he captained The Hatters Under 23s, did not get off to the start he wanted after being sent off at Ashton United on his debut and was suspended for the trip to Whitby.
Carson and Moonan were both signed on one month youth loans from League One side Accrington Stanley.
Left-back Carson, 20, recently spent time on loan at National League North side Telford United.
He was with Liverpool for eight years before moving Burnley at 14 and while with The Clarets, had loan spells at Nelson and Padiham.
He joined Accrington in 2021 and last season had a loan spell at Carrick Rangers in Northern Ireland.
Central midfielder Moonan, 20, who scored on his Celtic debut at Hurst Cross, also came through the youth ranks at Burnley, where he spent 11 years, before also moving to Accrington in 2021.
The other debutant at Ashton United was Caine, 19, who was signed permanently from Stafford Rangers.
Originally from Stockport, Caine started his career with Rochdale before signing for Mansfield in 2019 and making his senior debut in November 2020 as a second half substitute in a 2-1 victory over Scunthorpe United in the EFL Trophy.
He signed professional terms in May 2021 and since then has had loan spells at Ilkeston Town and Sutton Coldfield Town.
Willcock has earlier brought in Raheem Hanley, Masai Arbouin and David Dangana.
The left-sided Hanley, 28, is a former England Under-19 international who has also won eight caps for St Kitts and Nevis.
He was most recently with New Mills and has experience of playing in the Northern Premier League having featured for Mossley and Radcliffe.
Hanley was at Manchester United between the ages of 10 and 16 before joining Blackburn Rovers where he signed professional terms in 2012.
A move to Swansea followed before spells at Northampton Town, FC Halifax Town and Chorley.
Midfielder Arbouin, 22, signed from Gainsborough Trinity, but it was the briefest of stays as the Sheffield-based player, who started out at Sheffield United, asked to leave because he did not want to commute from Sheffield unless he was playing.
Forward Dangana, 22, is originally from Scotland and spent time with Aberdeen, progressing from their Under-17s to their B team.
He had a loan spell with Stranraer and, after leaving the Dons in 2021, joined Finnish side Narpes Kraft.
After his time in Finland, Dangana had a spell with Bootle before moving to Bower Fold.
- Leaving Celtic are summer signing Cameron Darkwah, 30, the former Stockport County striker, Luke Hinsley who arrived in September and made only three appearances and Arbouin.