“The less we say about that decision, the better,” Stephen WelshStephen Welsh admits he isn’t expecting a flood of messages from his Celtic-supporting mates anytime soon…However, the on-loan Hoops defender remains optimistic about playing a key role in helping Motherwell push for European qualification before the end of the season.Welsh was unable to lend Celtic a helping hand at the weekend, as the Steelmen suffered a 3-1 defeat to league leaders Hearts at Tynecastle. The 26-year-old acknowledged that result may not sit well with some of his Celtic-minded pals, but insists his focus lies elsewhere.With five fixtures remaining – including clashes against all three title challengers – Welsh is concentrating on finishing the campaign strongly in North Lanarkshire.

His priority is to ensure Motherwell secure a place in next season’s Conference League before his loan spell at Fir Park comes to an end.When asked whether any friends had urged him to do Celtic a favour, he responded with a smile via Daily Record: “Aye! I don’t think they’ll be phoning me at any time soon after for that.”“Nah, look, I’ll try and put the title race to the back of my mind. I’m a Motherwell player until the end of the season, so for me the main focus is on doing as well as I can for the club and for the teammates.

I think it’s important that we really stick together at this point.”Welsh was left frustrated on Saturday after conceding a penalty, believing the decision was harsh following an attempted clearance that resulted in contact with Landry Kabore’s head.The Hearts substitute appeared to move towards the ball while on the ground at the moment Welsh swung his boot, a sequence that ultimately led to referee Matthew MacDermid being sent to the monitor and eventually giving a penalty.Lawrence Shankland made no mistake from 12 yards, compounding Welsh’s disappointment at the outcome.He said: “For me, the ball’s on the ground. Growing up, you don’t head the ball when you’re on the ground, you try and kick it.

I know the boy is already on the ground, but we just need to get on with it.“The less we say about that decision, the better. We just need to take it. I don’t think we’ve got many decisions in our favour on Saturday throughout the game, but look, it is what it is.“I’d rather look at our performance, to be honest, because our performance was really good.

I think it was maybe 89 minutes before they scored the penalty. Up until then, I thought we were really good.”Conor SpencePost your own thoughts in the comments section below…Quick Tip – Add thecelticstar.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!Click to join Celtic PoolsMore Stories / Latest News“The less we say about that decision, the better,” Stephen Welsh Apr 14 2026, 6:24Anthony Ralston reflects on his first start since January Apr 14 2026, 6:14Celtic to play behind closed doors friendly as injury list decreases Apr 14 2026, 6:05