Benkovic on high alert as surprise act hit Parkhead

SCOTTISH football is not entirely unaccustomed to seeing its natural order being momentarily shaken up. At different times in recent years, both Hearts and Aberdeen have briefly enjoyed the view from the summit of the game.

By the time the Christmas trees are on display, however, all talk of an unlikely title challenge from outwith Glasgow is normally ancient history. Or soon would be.

For Celtic today, though, there is now no margin for error.

Steve Clarke’s Kilmarnock side, who they have yet to defeat since he took the post, wouldn’t shout about their title credentials if a gun was pressed to their heads. But given the remarkable consistency of the Rugby Park side over 16 months now, only a fool would dismiss the prospect of them staying the pace.

‘Saturday is an even more important game for us,’ said Celtic defender Filip Benkovic after the midweek draw at Motherwell.

‘Kilmarnock have done well this season and we respect their team. But we must look for the win.

‘We want to come back to winning ways. We couldn’t go top of the league during the week. We could have been one point in front. But we want to do this in the next game.

‘The league has a long way to go yet. I think we’ve done well until now and in December there are a lot of games. We must be at one with each other.’

A sense of injustice will do them no harm, you suspect.

For all Brendan Rodgers’ side were lax and profligate at Fir Park, with Leigh Griffiths missing a penalty, Benkovic was at a loss as to why referee Kevin Clancy disallowed what appeared to be a fine volley with Tom Aldred in close proximity.

‘I was shocked my goal wasn’t allowed,’ said the Croat. ‘I didn’t touch their player. But sometimes the ref whistles what he sees.

‘I asked him why, but he said it was his decision and that was that. I still don’t understand.’

If Celtic appeared to have been dealt a poor hand in that incidence, they were also guilty of failing to do enough to ensure it was an irrelevance.

Ponderous and predictable in the second half, they tempted fate. And when weak defending by Cristian Gamboa gave Danny Johnson a sight of goal, the striker punished them severely.

‘We had some bad luck during the game,’ said Benkovic. ‘The manager spoke to us after and said he’d expected us to win, which is normal.

‘He told us just to work on the Saturday game because it’s very important. Now we must focus on the positives and this next match.

‘I disagree that we threw the game away. We gave everything.

‘We knew how important it was, like every game for Celtic.

‘But this is football and you must instead think of positive things and be focused on Kilmarnock.’

With Dedryck Boyata presently sidelined with a hamstring complaint, Benkovic will reprise his defensive partnership with his compatriot Jozo Simunovic against the league leaders.

Despite the late concession at Fir Park, he believes there were positives to be taken from their first 90 minutes together since their Dinamo Zagreb days.

‘I think we were good against Motherwell,’ he said. ‘We know each other well.

‘I’m looking forward to playing with him in the next games.

‘I think I can have a good partnership with Jozo. We speak the same language and we know each other well.’