THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

Scott Sinclair bows out of Paradise after over three years of wonderful, beautiful and magical moments in the green and white Hoops

- PAUL CUDDIHY

SCOTT Sinclair’s impact at Celtic was instant. Less than 24 hours after signing for the club back in August 2016, he came off the bench to score the decisive goal in a 2-1 win over Hearts at Tynecastle on the opening day of the season.

He never looked back from that moment on, and he would go on to score an impressive 62 goals in 167 appearances for the Hoops, winning 10 trophies along the way, including the historic Treble Treble.

Last week, his time with Celtic came to an end as he moved south to join Preston North End, and he did so with the grateful thanks of Celtic supporters for everything he had given the club throughout his time at Paradise.

In that first season, Scott scored 25 goals in 50 appearances, helping the Hoops to an Invincible Treble. That included a hat-trick at Tynecastle in April 2017 on the day that Celtic beat Hearts 5-0 to secure the title. He also added League Cup and Scottish Cup winner’s medals that season, something he and his team-mates would do in the two subsequent seasons.

In 2017/18, as the Hoops repeated their treble success, Scott emerged as the club’s top goalscorer, netting 18 goals across all competitions, including a memorable strike in an impressive 3-0 away win over Anderlecht in a UEFA Champions League group-stage game.

And in last season’s extraordinary Treble Treble campaign, he provided 17 goals, including another superb hat-trick in a thrilling 4-3 Boxing Day victory over Aberdeen at Pittodrie. This season, he was on target twice, his last goal for the Hoops coming in a 5-0 League Cup win over Partick Thistle at Celtic Park back in September.