Celtic fans forced into rare sound as Oh Hyeon-gyu breaks season duck to see off stubborn St Mirren

It is rare to hear a Celtic Park crowd whistling for the full-time whistle. But the Scottish champions’ struggles to see off an impressively robust St Mirren, meant the shrill that signalled their 2-1 victory was greeted practically with a round of yeehaws.

Celtic's Oh Hyeon-gyu celebrates after scoring the late winner over St Mirren. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The sounds would have been altogether different were it not for the musicality in the 83rd minute move that claimed them their victory. Dancing beats as they had struggled to drum up in the second 45 to the fore in Kyogo Furuhashi sliding through to substitute Odin Holm. The Norwegian smoothly picking up the baton and quickly sending fellow late arrival Oh Hyeon-gyu through on goal for the Korean striker to earn a first goal of the campaign by unleashing a master-blaster of a drive that could bulge the net so emphatically it could have been accompanied by crashing cymbals.

The soundtrack of the night wasn’t quite as expected in a number of respects. Celtic’s banning of the Green Brigade had led to the story on many news sites being accompanied by a deserted standing section. Yet, the near 2,000 capacity north curve, as it is known, was still three-quarters full because the ultras group accounts for only 200 of the season tickets in the area.

If the Celtic support at large had concerns over the absence of a noise-generating faction that have sought to present themselves as political marytrs, these were quickly trumped by Rodgers’ decision to rest Cameron Carter-Vickers owing to his heavy schedule since he recently returned from an extended period out. Inside seven minutes, in fact. St Mirren then demonstrating precisely why they have enjoyed their best start to a season since 1922-23 to highlight the importance of Celtic’s US international centre-back.

Greg Kiltie produced a peach of a curling cross from the right but the ease with which Conor McMenamin could nod it past Joe Hart - for his first St Mirren goal - could be attributed to the home side’s backline pairing of Nat Phillips and Liam Scales proving nowhere in the vicinity. The adeptness of Robinson’s side in switching from 5-4-1 to a more progressive 3-5-2 seemed to have Celtic struggling to find their rhythm…with the home fans reserving their displeasure for any moves that broke down at the feet of rare starters David Turnbull and James Forrest.

The moaning wasn’t lost on the former come the 18th minute when curled a glorious effort into the top corner from 22 yards and celebrated by sticking fingers in his ears. It was unfortunate for Turnbull that, with VAR alerting referee John Beaton that Alex Gogic had handled in the area 11 minutes later, he would have been left wanting to stick needles in his eyes after cracking his spot-kick against the upright. Before keeper Zach Hemming made sure St Mirren did not squander the let-off by superbly blocking Luis Palma’s thumping drive from the rebound.

Hemming continued in this fashion for the rest of the first period as Celtic laid siege to the visitors’ goal without breaching it. For much of the second period, even as they marinated in possession, Rodgers’ side could not produce the concoction to down St Mirren. Until the special brew late on that Oh supped on.