Johnny Kenny’s impact at Bolton continued on Saturday, and Celtic supporters will have taken notice.
The on-loan striker played a central role in Bolton Wanderers’ 5-1 win away at Exeter City. He scored one and set up another in a performance that showed the sharpness and movement that first caught Celtic’s eye.
Kenny’s assist was the standout moment. Breaking into the channel, he got beyond his marker and drilled the ball across goal. Sam Dalby was left with a simple finish. It looked straightforward, but it came from Kenny’s timing and willingness to stretch the back line.
For a player still developing, these are the details that matter. At Celtic, competition for places is slowly growing. To return stronger, a striker needs more than goals. He needs to show he can influence games in different ways.
Dalby was full of praise afterwards and made it clear how much Kenny’s work off the ball helped the team.
He said: (Bolton Wanderers FC YouTube), “Johnny was brilliant all day, just running the channels and making it really difficult for their centre-halves.
“Then he put one right across the goal for me, and I couldn’t really miss.
“We are very different type of players and he does stuff that maybe I’m not the greatest at and vice versa.
“So, obviously, it feels like a good partnership and the more we play together, the better we get.”
The pair complement each other well. Kenny is always on the move, happy to pull into wide areas and drag defenders out with him. That creates room in the middle, where Dalby does his best work.
For Celtic, this is the kind of development you want to see from a young striker out on loan. He is not just getting minutes. He is learning how to link play, how to create space for a partner, and how to affect a game when the tempo is high. Those are traits that matter at Celtic Park, where space is tighter and defenders sit deep.
There has always been energy in Kenny’s game. The question has been whether he can add composure and end product at a higher level. A goal and an assist in a 5-1 away win answers part of that.
If he keeps producing in England, he gives Celtic a real decision to make. Rather than sending him out again, they may have to look at where he fits in the squad.
A forward who can stretch a back line and still supply others has value, especially in games where movement is needed to break teams down.
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