VICTORY CLOUDED BY MORE MADNESS

Christie dazzles but fans fail to behave

CELTIC’S march to an eighth successive title always seems so much easier with Ryan Christie in the team. In his first appearance since February 24, the Scotland midfielder came off the bench to apply gloss to a drab Celtic performance with a deflected strike four minutes from time.

Regrettably, the idiocy of Scottish football supporters shows no sign of abating.

In the aftermath of Christie’s late strike, the Celtic away support let off two firecrackers, the noise from one prompting St Mirren’s star performer, goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky, to stoop down holding his right ear. At times, it feels as if the message won’t sink in until strict liability is on a parliamentary statute paper.

Before the match began, Paisley

boss Oran Kearney denied accusations of defeatism despite making six changes to the team which beat Dundee at the weekend.

A critical relegation clash looms at Hamilton on Saturday and his selection prompted the suspicion that, not to put too fine a point on it, the Paisley side were writing this game off.

Yet, until those final minutes, the relegation-threatened side were doggedly hanging in there.

Timothy Weah’s goal after 15 minutes really should have made this an easier Celtic win than it proved. Much of the credit for that lies with St Mirren’s man-of-thematch Hladky.

The Czech saved Olivier Ntcham’s 28th-minute spot-kick — Celtic’s fifth penalty miss in 12 attempts this season — and pulled off a string of saves before Christie finally settled the issue in those dying minutes. There was the obligatory Scott Brown controversy when television pictures appeared to catch the captain stamping on St Mirren’s Jim Kellerman. In the current climate, everything Brown does comes under a microscope. It would be naive to expect any different this time.

By the end of an underwhelming and forgettable game, Celtic found themselves two wins from the title. If events go their way this weekend, it could even be sooner.

Neil Lennon made four changes to the team that defeated Rangers on Sunday. With Dedryck Boyata’s season all but over, Jozo Simunovic returned to central defence as Emilio Izaguirre replaced Kieran Tierney. Oliver Burke replaced Sunday’s man-of-the-match Odsonne Edouard and Weah marked his first start under Lennon with a goal.

The on-loan Paris Saint-Germain attacker headed home a scrappy effort after patient build-up play saw Mikael Lustig burst into the area in the 15th minute and fired a shot at goal. Keeper Hladky saved with his legs, Lustig prodding the second attempt towards goal for Weah to head in via the crossbar.

St Mirren players claimed it hadn’t crossed the goal-line but television replays showed the officials got it right.

Even before the goal, Celtic wrapped themselves round this game like a boa constrictor and squeezed tight.

The decision to leave out Edouard after one of his best displays in a green and white shirt should have been vindicated by Burke doubling the lead. Controlling a Callum McGregor pass, the on-loan West Brom attacker slashed a low, right-foot shot past the upright from 12 yards. He really should have scored.

Celtic’s most damaging miss had yet to come. Penalty-kicks have proven a mental block for the Scottish champions this season.

Ntcham only scored against RB Salzburg in the Europa League at the second attempt after his penalty was saved. When Kellerman marked his first league start by raising his arm to handle a punched Hladky clearance after 28 minutes, lightning seemed destined to strike twice.

Ntcham thrashed the ball at goal well enough, but the height was perfect for Hladky to pull off a fine stop. As the ball came back to the Frenchman, the chance for immediate atonement presented itself. Hooking the ball on to the top of the crossbar, he sunk to his knees in despair.

It might have been costly for Celtic had St Mirren presented the slightest menace in attack. In a low-key first half of few chances and even less intensity, that never looked especially likely.

Yet Celtic almost paid the price of removing their feet from the pedal against Rangers on Sunday and, remarkably, so it was here.

Saints had their keeper Hladky to thank for stopping Ntcham’s penalty and the Czech kept the home side in the game with a big block with his legs from a prodded effort from Burke three minutes into the second period.

So long as it stayed at 1-0, St Mirren had hope. They would make chances eventually and it happened sooner than anyone expected.

With one goal in 11 appearances, Cody Cooke has been an underwhelming signing. Yet the 26-year-old striker almost secured atonement when he gathered a loose ball and had Scott Bain scrambling across goal to complete his first save of the night.

From the resultant corner, Duckens Nazon failed to connect with a header at the back post and Celtic had a reminder — were it needed — that one goal was a flimsy old lead.

The arrival of Christie from an injury lay-off was designed to inject some life into a laboured Celtic display.

The midfielder’s impact was almost immediate, the legs of Hladky again denying Celtic a second from close range before Christie smacked a dipping swirling left-foot effort over the bar minutes later.

For Kearney, there was little to lose now. The Saints manager’s first game in charge brokered a point against the champions elect and Simeon Jackson and Paul McGinn entered the fray in a late quest to make lightning strike twice.

At the third time of asking, Christie would have the decisive say, however, smashing home his 11th strike of the season with five minutes to play.