CELTIC fans were able to watch some bonus Hoops action last night when the B team faced East Kilbride in the KDM Evolution Trophy.
But they got more than they bargained for when a first team star was a shock name in the starting XI.
It’s been a new era for the Scottish Challenge Cup this season.
As well as a new sponsor, it has undertaken a brand new format.
While it may not be playing host to the likes of Barcelona or Manchester City, the competition is using the same 30-team format as the Champions League for its initial phase this season.
That means participating clubs play six different teams with three home and three away matches, with the top 24 teams in the big league table progressing to the second round.
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The Celtic B team travelled to the K-Park to take on League Two outfit East Kilbride in their final league phase match last night.
While the young Hoops side went down to a 2-0 defeat on the night, they still managed to progress to the second round despite taking just six points from their six games across the phase.
There was a familiar look to the Celtic B side in the game broadcast on live TV with the likes of skipper Hayden Borland, Ben Summers and Jude Bonnar all featuring.
But the announcement of the starting XI before the game certainly caused quite a stir.
That’s because a somewhat forgotten first team start was named in the team.
Japan international Shin Yamada, a £1.5million summer signing, led the line for the Celtic B team in East Kilbride.
Competition rules allow for B teams to call upon a select number of over-age players.
The 25-year old has endured a nightmare time of things since joining the Celts from Kawasaki Frontale, barely featuring for the first team.
Yamada, capped once for his country, moved to Scotland after a prolific time of things in the J.League.
He’d bagged 19 league goals in the 2024 season and had netted nine times in 20 games at the time of his signing by the Hoops in July.
But despite Celtic’s struggles at the top end of the pitch this season, Yamada has been restricted to just five appearances.
Only one of those has come from the start too and that was all the way back in August against Livingston.
Yamada has failed to score during his brief opportunities so far.
He was also left out of Celtic’s European squad and therefore cannot feature in any Europa League matches.
Unfortunately for Yamada, things didn’t get much better for him in the B team last night as he once again failed to find the net.
Many Hoops fans took to social media to share their surprise at seeing him featuring for the second string.
One shocked fan said: “Pretty sure this isn’t what Shin Yamada had in mind when he flew half way across the world to sign for us”
Another simply said: “Shin?”
A third blasted: “Scandal that Celtic have done this to him.”
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While another tongue in cheek comment read: “Bags of potential this Shin Yamada kid.”
While another summed things up after the game and said: “I did not have ‘losing 2-0 to East Kilbride in a multi-use games area’ on my Shin Yamada Celtic highlights bingo card when he signed.”
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