Stephen Welsh finds Scotland win after 18 years at Celtic
Stephen Welsh spent 18 years at Celtic. His first win for Scotland arrived just weeks after leaving them.
The 26-year-old centre-back, a central defender, helped Scotland beat North Macedonia in Skopje on 3 October 2026. It was a UEFA Nations League tie, part of UEFA's competition for national teams, and it gave Welsh his first victory in his third cap, an international appearance, for his country BBC Sport.
It followed a difficult start to the camp. Scotland lost 3-0 to Switzerland after Jack Hendry was sent off early. Hendry was then suspended for the trip to North Macedonia, which opened the door in defence Scottish FA.
For Welsh, the timing mattered. He made his Celtic debut in spring 2020 and played 70 games in total for the club. Along the way he turned down approaches from Udinese and Toulouse, and spent time on loan at Motherwell under Jens Berthel Askou.
This summer he left for good. Welsh joined Swansea City in the Championship, England's second tier, in a permanent deal.
Scotland came calling soon after. New head coach Sébastien Pocognoli named Welsh in his first squad for the Nations League fixtures, his first senior call-up. The former Scotland Under-21 captain was one of five newcomers alongside Robbie Ure, Luis Binks, Colby Donovan and Hearts winger Josh McPake.
Scotland were scheduled to host Slovenia at Hampden at 19:45 BST on the Tuesday after the North Macedonia match.
What makes this stand out is the patience behind it. Eighteen years at one club. Seventy games. Then a fresh start in Wales, and a first Scotland win far from home. For fans, this means a new name to learn at the back — and one who already knows how to wait for his moment.
