Alloa new boy Michael Duffy revealed he jumped at the chance to sign on at the Indodrill Stadium and admitted he can’t wait to get into competitive action.

The Celtic youngster will spend the first half of the season on loan with Danny Lennon’s side having made the move to Parkhead from Derry City in January.

And Duffy admitted he is excited about what lies ahead as the Wasps prepare for the start of the new season.

He told Advertiser Sport: “I heard from Celtic a couple of weeks into pre-season that Alloa were interested. I’m delighted to have joined and I can’t wait for the season to start now. I’m especially happy to be working under the manager, he did well at St Mirren and what he’s doing here seems really good so far, so it’s great to get the experience of playing under a top manager.

“I just need to get some games, and this is a good level to be playing at alongside some great teams.” The Northern Ireland youth international insisted he is looking forward to getting a taste of competitive football and rubbing shoulders with some big names in Scotland’s star-studded championship.

He said: “I’m here to get out there and get playing, and hopefully I’ll have a good six months and we’ll see what happens. We’re playing against big teams like Rangers and Hibs and that’s exactly what I want to experience. When you look at the calibre of the teams in this division, it’s going to be a tough league and that’s exactly what I need. We’ve got Rangers in the second league game and it has been moved for TV, so it would be nice to get a goal there.” Duffy offered the Alloa fans a taste of what they can expect to see from their new signing.

He added: “I played with Derry City last season and scored 16 goals, before I came on trial with Celtic and scored two against Newcastle. My favoured position is the left wing. I played there for Derry and had my best spell, but I don’t really mind where I play in attack.”