Cameron Carter Vickers Celtic journey has first club Catholic United revealing 1968 connection that is finally being repaid

Fifty-four years ago Celtic sent a box of strips to help a non-league club in Essex look the part in a cup final.

Running out for that 1968 Walton Cup clash in the Lisbon Lions’ kit was enough to spur Catholic United on to a 2-1 victory over Haden FC, a triumph which remains one of their best ever.

From that moment it was written into the amateur club’s constitution that their colours would always remain green and white hoops in a gesture of thanks to the Parkhead giants.

But more than half a century later Catholic United hope they’ve finally repaid the Hoops in full with their own special delivery - by helping send Cameron Carter-Vickers on his way from schoolboy prodigy to potential Champions League star.

Carter-Vickers is closing in on making last season’s loan deal at Parkhead from Tottenham permanent with personal terms agreed between player and club, as Record Sport revealed on Tuesday.

Having been a pillar in Ange Postecoglou ’s defence as Celtic reclaimed the title from Rangers, the 24-year-old looks set to end a 13-year spell with Spurs.

That association with the Premier League giants stretches back to when the now US international was an 11-year-old school kid plucked from the realms of the Catholic United youth ranks after impressing scouts.

As the Essex side’s chairman James Paviour told Record Sport last night, his journey from the club dubbed the Essex Bhoys to the real Bhoys has been nothing short of a fairytale.

Paviour said: “Cameron played youth team football for us for a good few years before being picked up by Spurs.

“He’s a local boy who went to the catholic primary school here. A few of our current team were in his class.

“We have a Sunday League team too and a few of those boys still