Luke's stock has risen since a car-crash stint with Blue Brazil

Battling Celts on his Fir Park debut a far cry from costly Cowden trips for Armstrong

- By MICHAEL GANNON

LUKE ARMSTRONG relished bashing around Celtic defenders after bumping into stock cars on his first spell in Scotland.

The on-loan Carlisle striker hit the ground running on his first start for Motherwell with a goal against the Hoops in Sunday's 3-1 defeat.

And it was a far cry from his last time over the border when he spent more time on the bench or on the train during a stint at Cowdenbeath and their famous Central Park racetrack.

Armstrong - son of former Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Stockport star Alun - said: "Sunday was chalk and cheese to back then! It was only part-time, I used to travel up a couple of times a week to train.

"It was costing me more to actually get there and play than what I was getting paid! I didn't even play that much. Colin Nish was player-manager and he was playing himself instead!

"It only lasted a few months. I saw the stock cars at the end and I was just thinking, 'What is going on here?'