Celtic Fan Wins SPFL Goal Award

Photo by Jeff Holmes Young Celtic fan Jay Beatty has won a landslide victory in the Scottish Professional Football League goal of the month award. The 11-year-old, who has Down's Syndrome, recorded 97 per cent of the vote in the SPFL's online competition for January. Jay netted a penalty on the New Douglas Park pitch during the interval of Celtic's 2-0 win against Hamilton on January 17 after being invited to the game as a guest of the Lanarkshire club. Jay, who comes from Neil Lennon's home town of Lurgan, shot to fame when Georgios Samaras picked him out of the crowd during Celtic's title-winning lap of honour last season, after the then Celtic manager gifted him his winners' medal. And Samaras was the man to give the young supporter his good news when he announced the result via a video link on the SPFL's Twitter account. The Greece striker, who now plays for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, said: "Jay, my friend, me and you are the same now - scoring goals. "I'm very happy to announce that you won the goal of the month. "Well done pal, great job. I miss you and I love you." Jay's father, Martin Beatty, thanked the thousands of football fans who voted for his goal. He said: "Not many of us get to live our dreams and Jay is getting to live all our dreams. Thank you to everyone for making this possible - we are so grateful and proud."