Kilmarnock star on Celtic's Shane Duffy being 'caught out' by Scottish football

Kilmarnock midfielder Alan Power believes the unexpected challenges of Scottish football may have ‘caught out’ his fellow Irishman Shane Duffy.

Celtic's Shane Duffy has struggled to adapt to the Scottish game. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

The pair will face off as the Ayrshire club visit Celtic Park with the Republic of Ireland captain having returned for Neil Lennon’s men in the 3-2 win over Lille.

Duffy’s loan move from Brighton has given way to a torrid time for the centre-back but Power doubts that is a case of the boyhood Celtic support trying too hard but rather down to a toughness of the Scottish game that outside detractors too often overlook.

“He is a big boy. I am sure he can handle stuff like [playing for the club he supports],” said the combative 32-year-old. “ I think maybe the league is underestimated a little bit, how fast it can be and how intense it can be. I think it catches a few people out. You need to get used to it. Even just getting used to the weather can be hard. You have people running into you when you think maybe they shouldn’t be or tackling you when you think they shouldn’t. I wouldn’t look too deep into it being his Celtic ties or anything like that. He has played in a lot of high pressure games for Ireland and Brighton. He has got big enough shoulders to cope with it. I came from the National League [and Lincoln City in 2017]. I knew it was going to be a step up for me. It took me a couple of months to get up to speed and feel comfortable with what I need to do.”

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