CELTIC fans heading to Scotland today for the club's first home game in the UEFA Europa League have been left in limbo after being told their sailing has been delayed.

The Stena Line Superfast VIII sailing from Belfast to Cairnryan, scheduled for 11.30am is now facing a delay of 90 minutes.

The company have offered no reason for the hold-up.

With the sailing now expected at 1pm, arrival in Scotland at around 3pm and a two-hour coach journey to Glasgow ahead, fans face a tight schedule ahead of the 5.45pm kick-off against Braga at Celtic Park.

Belfast Media sports journalist Maghnus Dunne is one of thousands of Celtic fans from Belfast making the trip.

"I am disappointed to hear about the delay," he said.

"This is the first European match of the season so obviously there was a good buzz about the place but after the news this has been a huge deflation. 

"We all pay good money to travel on a regular basis. The short turnaround means there will be thousands of Irish fans scrambling to the stadium for the match due to the earlier kick-off time."

An update on the sailing on the Stena Line website states: "Due to an ongoing delay this sailing will operate with a 90 minute delay. Please check in no later than 1130 hrs. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause."

£5 vouchers have been handed out by Stena Line to passengers while they await departure.

DELAY: £5 vouchers have been handed out to Celtic fans
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DELAY: £5 vouchers have been handed out to Celtic fans