Celtic 3 - 1 St Mirren 1: Jittery Celtic are forced to dig deep

Published on Saturday 28 November 2009 22:15

THESE are bizarre times around Celtic Park. And yesterday things got weirder.

In the final minute Celtic won a penalty after St Mirren's Chris Innes handled in the box and the defender was shown a yellow card followed by a red. The only hiccup being the fact he hadn't been booked previously and he was eventually recalled from the dressing room to see out the match.

But nothing is straightforward around here at the moment. Celtic returned to the top of the league but there were swathes of empty seats as fans chose to stay away.

The frustration ofafluctuating season was evident again in the first half. But if the display was still shy of what the club is striving for at least they held their nerve. Manager Tony Mowbray referred to the pressure that has been building in recent weeks but said his players had shouldered that well, giving a performance that warranted the result they got.

This week, his post-matchsummation couldn't be contradicted – a side that still looks jittery, it's amazingwhat some goals can do. Two at the end of the first half looked tohave eased the anxieties of a Celtic side that does nothave problems to seek. Following the defeat by Dundee United last week there were calls for the manager to go.The board are unlikely to act in such a knee-jerk fashion given the manthey appointed has only been in the jobamatter of months, but the fact is a run of results is needed to lift the gloom.

"I will always be a performancerelated coach because that will, ultimately, give us consistency of results," said Mowbray, insisting that there was no long-term gain in simply trying to scramble wins week in week out. "It is that reliability which is lacking."

But, unless Mowbray makes the three or four signings he's hoping for in January, the days of dominating teams are gone, killing them off early and then seeing out thematch at a swagger. But at this still relatively early stage that is as much a reflection on the Scottish game as a whole, as it is a damning indictment of any management personnel. Celtic remain unbeaten at home in the league but the fact is there is not the same gulf in class there once was and there is certainly no fear factor.

Gus McPherson's men underlined the belief that teams now have when facing either of the big Glasgow sides and they started spritely. Playing their way into the Celtic half, they had plenty possession but the clear-cut chances were lacking.

That cause was not helped,however, with the enforced removal of the injured Andy Dorman in 19th minute with a hamstring injury and although his replacement Michael Higdon scored the Paisley side's only goal, the switch did disrupt the rhythm of the visitors' play.

In the fourth minute Zheng Zhi had side-footed a powder puff effort at the St Mirren keeper after Aiden McGeady played it into him just yards from goal and the Republic of Ireland international combined with Andreas Hinkel in the 15th minute to supply Scott McDonald but he shot high and wide. So much was dependent on McGeady and Zheng at that stage and the pair colluded in the 30th minute when Zheng showed some

strength to hold off David Barron and drive into the box, cutting the ball back for his team-mate whose final shot was on target but well-blocked.

Then we finally got some goals. The opener came in the 37th minute when an advancing Georgios Samaras poked a pass through the St Mirren defence for McDonald to run onto and his right footed low, angled shot from inside the box was deflected past Gallacher by the Innes. A few minutes later Innes had a header at the other end, when Zaluska's punched clearance from a set-piece failed to get any distance. But the effort went over the bar. Then came Celtic's second. McGeady was the man bearing down on the St Mirren last line, and he slotted the ball to Samaras in the same area McDonald had shot for the first.

This time he finished it cleanly.

That should have been the signal for Celtic to relax and start playing their own game. Some will argue that Marc Crosas eased off too much and when Billy Mehmet's cross came into the Celtic box, the midfielder made a hash of clearing it, playing it instead to Higdon, who buried it.

It was a vastly improved Celtic who emerged in the second half. They hadn't rediscovered that swagger but they could have ended the match with a few more goals had it not been for Paul Gallacher's saves. They did get the third in the 62nd minute, McDonald getting in front of the defence and converting a McGeady cross. But the hat-trick was not forthcoming. He elected to take the late penalty but Gallacher pulled off a great double save. "When I go home, that's all I will think about," said the striker. "It will ruinmynight."Two goals, albeit one deflected, and a welcome three points and still a night spoiled.

Bizarre times indeed.