By Russell Findlay

Celtic chiefs are under growing pressure over their handling of the Celtic Boys' Club sex abuse scandal.

A leading lawyer has warned the club will be facing "dozens and dozens of financial writs" if it fails to do the "right thing".

MSPs James Dornan and professor Adam Tomkins have urged them to take responsibility and to support and compensate survivors.

Youngsters who dreamed of playing for Celtic were targeted by paedophile Boys' Club officials - four of whom have been jailed following a police investigation into historic abuse within Scottish football.

Celtic have expressed "regret and sorrow" for the abuse but continue to insist that the Boys Club was a separate entity.

Both politicians have now written to Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell after fresh evidence emerged of close bonds between the two organisations.

The Times newspaper found "official" links between them in the club's own archives.

Articles in the club's official magazine, Celtic View, referred to the Boys' Club being "brought into the Celtic family".

Mr Dornan has been attending Celtic matches for 60 years. When his son played for the Boys' Club, he witnessed connections with the football club, which he says were "intrinsically linked".

He added that he was "deeply disappointed" at Celtic's handling of the crisis and said it is their "duty" to support survivors who are part of the "Celtic family".

The SNP member for Glasgow Cathcart said: "I think it's been bad for the reputation of the club.

"I think it's been horrible for the survivors of this abuse - that the club that they all felt they were part of seem to be disowning them and not welcoming them or trying to do something to help them recuperate or just to make up for some of the loss that they've had because of the abuse they've suffered."

Mr Dornan wrote to Mr Lawwell and then published his letter after he did not receive a reply.

In response, the club issued a statement claiming that they did not reply "for very strong legal reasons" and said that Mr Dornan's "attacks on the football club are unfair and misguided".

Mr Dornan said: "This is not about me attacking Celtic, this is about me trying to protect or help the survivors of child abuse and I would have thought Celtic as a football club would have wanted to do that regardless."

Prof Tomkins, a Scottish Conservative MSP in Glasgow, has also written to Mr Lawwell after being contacted by numerous Boys' Club abuse survivors.

He wants to see an independent enquiry, saying: "It now needs to be fully and independently investigated."

Professor Tomkins says Celtic and the SFA should ensure "that the victims of child abuse and their families have appropriate help, guidance, counselling and support and, if necessary, compensation".

Mr Dornan and professor Tomkins say that Celtic should learn from Manchester City, which has set up a compensation scheme for victims of a paedophile former youth coach.

Their calls are backed by lawyer Patrick McGuire, who represents dozens of Celtic Boys' Club survivors.

Mr McGuire, a partner at Thompsons Solicitors, said that Celtic's continued denials were "laughable" and "an insult to every survivor".

He added: "I think the time has long passed for politicians to take hold of this issue, to step up and to force Celtic to do that which until now they've refused to do.

"That's simply to tell the truth about the connection between the football club and the boys' club.

"We've had a call for a public enquiry - I would fully support that.

"The simple fact is they've shown bad faith. They have many survivors of abuse that took place in their name, in the Celtic family, as the recent evidence has shown and they're just doing the wrong thing time and time again.

"Celtic are now on a very short timescale. If they don't do the right thing, if they don't follow the lead of Manchester City and set up a compensation scheme, they will find themselves on the receiving end of dozens and dozens of financial writs."

STV News today asked Mr Lawwell about the abuse scandal during a press conference in which Neil Lennon was confirmed as permanent manager.

Mr Lawwell said that it was a "very sensitive" issue but that it would not be "appropriate" to discuss at this time.

In response to calls for a public enquiry, the Scottish Government said: "The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry remit is wide-ranging and was set following extensive public consultation.

"Following previous calls to extend the remit to include abuse in other non-residential settings, ministers have made clear that the inquiry's remit should not be broadened further.

"The cases of sexual abuse in Scottish football are appalling and will have a profound and long-lasting impact on those who were abused.

"The final version of the report commissioned by the SFA to look at historical sexual abuse in football will be published when current ongoing legal cases are concluded and we will carefully consider its findings."