Exit confirmed: “I can only say good things about my time at Celtic”

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·10 Juni 2025

Exit confirmed: “I can only say good things about my time at Celtic”

Striker Joey Dawson has left Celtic and will now return to his hometown club after failing to make the breakthrough at Celtic in his for our years at the club…

26th December 2021; McDiarmid Park, Perth, Scotland; Scottish Premier League football, St Johnstone versus Celtic; Joey Dawson of Celtic. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Signed from Scunthorpe United in 2021 Dawson – the nephew of former Tottenham star Michael Dawson – reckons he’s returning to his old club as a much better player after his contract at Celtic came to an end.

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Dawson did make one first team appearance for Celtic, when Ange Postecoglou brought him off the bench up at McDiarmid Park on Boxing Day in 2021 in a match where Kyogo pulled his hamstring early in the game and due to Covid concerns the game was played in front of just 500 St Johnstone supporters. Celtic won the match 3-1 and it turned out to be highly significant as Celtic subsequently pushed on to win the title.

Celtic signed Scunthorpe United striker Joey Dawson in summer 2021. Photo: Luke Broughton

Brought in initially as an 18 year-old Celtic B Team player, Dawson scored 20 goals in 21 appearances in the Lowland League, with injuries playing a part in that low game total. The 22 year-old, a £100,000 signing from Scunthorpe in summer 2021, is now delighted to be heading back to the club where he broke through as a 16 year-old back in 2019.

Dawson was never one of the B Team players mentioned as a first team contender during Brendan Rodgers’ two seasons in charge at Celtic after his return to the club in 2023. Irish striker Johnny Kenny had returned from a loan spell with Shamrock Rovers in January and has been apart of the first team scene, scoring against Aberdeen in the 5-1 Scottish Premiership win and again the penalty-shoot out at Hampden in the Scottish Cup Final defeat.

Johnny Kenny celebrates. Aberdeen 1-5 Celtic. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

For Dawson though the injury crisis in December 2021 gave him his one and only taste of first team football at Celtic in that 3-1 Celtic victory away to St Johnstone.

Joey Dawson had this to say about leaving Celtic and returning to Scunthorpe United. Speaking to the official Scunthorpe United website Dawson said:

Joey Dawson returns to Scunthorpe United after his contract at Celtic ended. Photo Scunthorpe United FC

“I’m buzzing to be back, this is my home and it’s where I grew up, Dawson said. “So to finally be back is just an amazing feeling.

“I can only say good things about my time at Celtic. I feel like I’ve come back a better player, bigger and stronger, so I’m just looking forward to hitting the ground running.”

Scunthorpe United added: Scunthorpe United is delighted to welcome back former academy product Joey Dawson following his departure from Scottish Premier League side Celtic.

Dawson signed for the Iron at Under-8s level and came through the whole academy system, making his first team debut in the 1-0 defeat against Derby County in the Carabao Cup on August 13, 2019. In doing so, at the time, he became the youngest footballer to play professionally in the club’s history at just 16 years and 75 days old.

Dawson, who came on in the 74th minute of the game, became only the sixth 16-year-old to make a senior appearance for the club at the time. The record has since been surpassed by Harvey Cribb at 16 years, 36 days old during the away game at Sutton United.

Now 22-years-old, the versatile attacker, who can play as a midfielder or a forward, made his debut for Celtic under Ange Postecoglou on Boxing Day in 2021 against St Johnstone and was a regular for their B side, scoring a number of important goals including a brace against (the)Rangers in 2022.

In total in the Lowland League for the side, he made 21 appearances, scoring 20 goals, providing three assists.

While with the Iron, Dawson was a constant goalscorer for the academy side, and was a nominee for the LFE’s Goal of the Month for October 2020 when he scored against Mansfield Town.

Best of luck to Joey back at his hometown club.