Scott Bain has opened up on the reasons behind his Celtic departure, admitting he stayed longer at the club for the sake of his family—and is now ready to put football first again.
The 33-year-old, who this week joined Falkirk after six years at Celtic, spoke exclusively to CeltsAreHere about the personal and professional crossroads he found himself at before deciding to move on from Parkhead.
“I could have stayed at Celtic and been comfortable, I could have stayed another year,” Bain revealed. “I actually think as I look back, I probably stayed on longer at Celtic for more my family in terms of trying to look after my family where contracts and things are concerned.”
Bain arrived at Celtic on loan in January 2018, famously making his debut in a 3-2 win at Ibrox after a late call-up. He earned a permanent move that summer and would go on to make over 70 appearances for the club, winning multiple league titles, cups, and playing his part in an unprecedented Quadruple Treble run. While he spent recent seasons as a backup, his professionalism and influence inside the dressing room were widely respected.
“It became a case of having a fiancée, a little boy… sometimes being guaranteed wages comes first and you need to put family first as everyone does,” Bain admitted. “Where can you make the most money at that time?”
Now, with that part of his life secure, Bain says he’s relishing the chance to play regularly again—and remind people what he’s capable of.
“I think it was the right time as I’m 33 now, I don’t know how long I’ll be playing for,” he said. “Now I’ve looked after my family for the last five or so years, put them first, now it’s an opportunity to enjoy playing football again and put football above everything else.”
Bain also opened up about how quickly the game moves when you’re not in the spotlight.
“Football moves fast so when you go from playing regularly to not playing much you do get forgotten,” he said. “Now it’s about reminding people what I’m about as a goalkeeper, the player I am.”
Falkirk have landed a goalkeeper with top-level experience and a hunger to prove himself again. As for Bain, he’s walking away from Celtic with a clear conscience—and the fire still burning.
