Celtic verdict: The away anomaly that will haunt Neil Lennon's men

Celtic have had any number of deficiencies this season.
Celtic's Tom Rogic makes it 1-0 early on in the eventual 4-0 win away to St Mirren. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)Celtic's Tom Rogic makes it 1-0 early on in the eventual 4-0 win away to St Mirren. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)
Celtic's Tom Rogic makes it 1-0 early on in the eventual 4-0 win away to St Mirren. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

On the road, though, however nutty it may seem, they have been good enough to put in a proper challenge for a championship that got away from them long ago. That is a truth that must haunt Neil Lennon, his squad and the club’s support. For, while it might be the case that their 4-0 beating of St Mirren – embroidered by three goals across six second-half minutes in the closing stages – brought them first back-to-back league away wins since October, never mind a third consecutive Premiership success, they haven’t seriously faltered in unfamiliar environs.

Lennon’s men, who exhibited a durability and efficiency that has too often proved beyond them before their craft told, have dropped only three more points away from home in the Premiership than Rangers. Moreover, their record across their first 13 such encounters is superior to three seasons across their nine-in-a-row run. The fact they trail the Ibrox men by 18 points tells you all you need to know about the respective form of the Glasgow clubs in their own patch. Indeed, in netting eight goals without loss between last night’s vanquishing of Jim Goodwin and the 4-0 win in Kilmarnock last Tuesday, Celtic now have the best away goal difference of any side in the top flight, having scored four more and conceded four more than Steven Gerrard’s men.

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Yet, if this suggests their endeavours against Jim Goodwin’s men were all about lethal striking power, they weren’t. Tom Rogic’s rasper from wide on the right 16 minutes in, his first league goal in 11 months, was a thing of beauty, but came when Celtic were being forced to weather sustained pressure from the home side. The platform that allowed them to run out comfortable winners came from the fact they were able to do weathering … for one of the few occasions this season.

St Mirren hustled and harried in breathless fashion from the off and it seemed Lennon’s men hadn’t learned any lessons from the aggressive pressing with which the Paisley club, only 11 days earlier, had earned a first win at Parkhead since April 1990. But they had. Kristoffer Ajer, Jonjoe Kenny and Stephen Welsh – who was forced off on a stretcher midway through the second period – were immense in getting their blocks and tackles in, and clearing their lines.

Celtic grew in dominance with a host of openings across the second period. And when Ryan Flynn tugged down Greg Taylor for Odsonne Edouard to convert from the spot in the 78th minute, they went for the jugular. Ryan Christie curled in from a quick break two minutes later, and then within seconds David Turnbull, with a sublime turn and raking effort, put a sheen on the scoreline that was rough on St Mirren but fully earned by Celtic through their professionalism, purpose and, ultimately, poise.

St Mirren: Alnwick, Fraser, Shaughnessy, McCarthy, Flynn, Doyle-Hayes, McGrath (McAllister 15), Connolly (Macpherson 72), Erhahon, Durmus, Obika. Subs: Lyness, Tait, Mason, Finlayson, Henderson, Jamieson, Erwin.

Celtic: Bain, Kenny, Ajer, Welsh (Duffy 67), Taylor; Brown, McGregor; Turnbull (Griffiths 84), Rogic (Elyounoussi 84); Ajeti (Christie 67), Edouard (Klimala 79). Subs: Barkas, Soro, Johnston, Laxalt.

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