Celtic chasing a run of success bettered only once in 16 years

Celtic will post a notable success if the Premiership leaders continue their current winning league run when facing Kilmarnock this afternoon. Should they rack up a 19th success in 20 league games, it will make for a points haul across half a league season only once bettered by any Scottish team over the past 16 years.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon arrives for the match against Kilmarnock. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

In the club’s invincible campaign of 2016-17, under Brendan Rodgers they emerged victorious in 22 straight league games – only three shy of the top-flight record for such a sequence achieved by Martin O’Neill’s Celtic when romping to the title in 2003-4.

Since then there have been some highly profitable top-flight form spells. In 2007-08, Rangers had an 18-match run in which they posted 17 wins and a draw. In 2011-12, Celtic had a 19-game sequence in which one draw was their only blemish. Curiously, in both these campaigns, the returns were not sufficient to lay the groundwork for title wins.

Aside from 2016-17 though, in the past decade and a half no top-flight team have harvested 57 points out of a possible 60 as Neil Lennon’s men will be attempting to do in Glasgow’s east end today.

It is a measure of Celtic’s consistency that their winning ways have been replicated across all competitions.

Lennon’s men have earned 40 wins across league, Europa League/Champions League, League Cup and Scottish Cup.

That is unprecedented before the end of February, and owes much to Celtic claiming ten victories in continental competition across one campaign for the first time in their history.