East Kilbride FC are set to secure a co-operation agreement with Scottish champions Celtic this week which will see the Hoops blood some of their young players at K-Park.
Kilby gaffer Mick Kennedy has confirmed discussions have taken place between the Premiership giants and the League One outfit. And it is understood the agreement will be officially announced shortly.
Rhys Dargie first of three Celtic arrivals
The South Lanarkshire side signed Celtic's Rhys Dargie last week and the forward made his debut from the bench in Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Montrose. He is the first of three players Kilby intends to take on from the Hoops as part of the arrangement, with Celtic admirers of East Kilbride's brand of football that has helped them climb through the ranks from the Lowland League under Kennedy over the last three seasons.
The co-operation agreement allows top flight teams to send as many as three Scottish players aged 21 and under to clubs below them in the football pyramid for experience of senior football, whilst also being able to move freely between the loan club and parent club for additional minutes over the campaign.
Kennedy on Celtic talks and further signings
Kennedy told Lanarkshire Live Sport: "There has certainly been discussions going on with Celtic but nothing has been confirmed as yet in terms of the co-operation agreement."
"There are one or two others we would like to bring in from Celtic because there is a lot of quality in their B team that would fit into our structure and the quality we are looking for. We have a bit of recruiting to do outside of that as well. We want a goalkeeper and a striker."
"A co-op agreement would mean Celtic can call the players back within two days at any point and then they can come back to us. Celtic aren't prohibited in terms of bringing guys back and boys can go back and forth for things like the KDM Trophy, which Rhys will be going back [to Celtic] for this week [to play for the B team]."
Dargie bolsters promotion bid
Regarding his new signing, Kennedy is thrilled to have the 19-year-old on board to bolster their bid for promotion to the Championship. He added: "Rhys is someone we have been trying to bring in for a number of weeks. We have been a bit light in the wider areas and he will be a great addition."
"He is a good young talent and I think he will fit in well. He came on at half-time on Saturday but it was hard for him because we were chasing the game in a totally different shape to what we usually do. He is a very gifted footballer. We have watched him a lot and he was involved in some good play on Saturday."
Celtic has already entered into a co-operation agreement this season, linking up with League Two outfit Dumbarton.
