OWEN MOFFAT has admitted leaving his boyhood heroes to try his hand at English football was a difficult choice to make.

But while his first season down south at Blackpool didn't, by his own admission, go as planned after leaving Celtic, the Dunfermline new boy is determined to kick-start his career with James McPake's side.

The 21-year-old is on a season-long loan at KDM Group East End Park from the Seasiders, and hopes that his creativity and dribbling ability will excite the Pars fans.

The Stirling-born player joined the Glasgow giants at the age of seven and progressed through their youth system. That eventually led to then manager Ange Postecoglou handing Moffat his first team debut in December 2021, beginning a "whirlwind" period that saw him win the League Cup.

However, last August, he decided to leave Celtic for Blackpool.

"Looking back, it's one of those where you think 'was it the right decision?'. Could I have gone to Dunfermline last year, because the manager said it was a possibility? But I wanted to try Blackpool. It was an ambition of mine and, obviously, I'm still contracted there.

"It was a tough decision but I wanted to do it. It didn't really work out last season, but I'm buzzing to come back up here.

"I can't really speak highly enough of the coaches at Celtic. They were all brilliant. Guys like Martin Miller, Greig Robertson, Darren O'Dea and Michael O'Halloran - obviously, his son is at Dunfermline, and I travel in with him in the morning."

Reflecting on being given his opportunity in the Celtic first team, Moffat continued: "That was really good.

"I made my debut against at Ross County - you might remember that game, it was a 97th minute winner, I think, from Anthony Ralston - and then I came on in the League Cup final against Hibernian. It was just a whirlwind few days.

"It was crazy. Growing up as a Celtic fan, it was unreal. Then I started against St Mirren, and I think after that we played on Boxing Day. I was an unused sub, and then I got Covid. I came back and it was tough to get back in because they'd signed new players.

"I can't speak highly enough of my time at Celtic; the best years of my life so far.

"It was tough but I'm moving forward from that now. I'm just buzzing to be here and I can't wait to play out there."

Moffat initially linked up with Blackpool's development squad after moving to Bloomfield Road, and while he had spells training with the first team, he'd mainly been with the reserves.

So his loan move is a chance to get his career going again.

"I've come back up here, and I want to show everyone what I can do every week, and express myself," he said. "I'm feeling really confident and I feel I'm doing well in training, so that's exactly what I want to do.

"Probably my strengths are creating, making things happen, dribbling and getting shots off. I'm really looking forward to doing that more."