The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Football: Celtic march on towards the Premiership title while Hearts make it back-to-back wins
CELTIC’S procession towards the Scottish Premiership title went almost unopposed in their 4-0 trouncing of Kilmarnock at Parkhead last night.
Midfielder Joe Ledley opened the scoring in the 11th minute of a desperately one-sided affair with an angled-drive before Killie defender Lee Ashcroft turned the ball into his own net from a James Forrest cross.
Midf ielder Charlie Mulgrew grabbed a third in the 67th minute before substitute Amido Balde, on for Teemu Pukki after the break, added a fourth in injury time, helped by Killie goalkeeper Craig Samson, who let a less than powerful shot slip through his hands.
The Hoops have now gone 23 league games unbeaten since the start of the season to sit 18 points clear of second-placed Aberdeen, and another clean sheet means the champions equalled the club record of 10, last achieved in 1921/22.
There was no surprise that Celtic took control of the game from the first whistle.
James Forrest set up Ledley for theWales international to drive the ball low past Samson and into the far corner of the net.
Killie had a penalty claim when Hoops defender Virgil van Dijk clashed with William Gros but the incident looked to have taken place outside the box, although no action at all was taken.
Celtic’s second came in the 20th minute when Forrest turned JeroenTesselaar inside out before his cross was turned into his own net byAshcroft.
Five minutes into the second-half Hoops keeper Fraser Forster was called into action for the first time to make a fine block from Manuel Pascali’s closerange volley.
Celtic were far from rampant but the chances kept coming with both Pukki and Mulgrew coming close.
Ledley then took a pass from Commons and dinked the ball over the Killie defence for Mulgrew to control and knock past Samson from six yards.
And in injury time Samson gifted Balde his goal by letting a weak shot through his grasp.
Celtic: Forster, Fisher, Ambrose, van Dijk, Izaguirre, Brown, Mulgrew (Johansen 82), Ledley, Forrest (Boerrigter 77), Pukki (Balde 71), Commons.
Kilmarnock: Samson, Clohessy (O’Hara 53), Ashcroft, Pascali, Tesselaar, McKenzie, Clingan, Slater, Kiltie (Nicholson 46), Muirhead (Gardyne 76), Gros.