Ending Celtic’s run would be proud moment for Saints

St Johnstone keeper Zander Clark had admitted it will be a “proud moment” for the club if they can slay Celtic.

Clark was on top form as Saints edged out Partick Thistle at Firhill on Wednesday night, while across Glasgow the Hoops made it 28 domestic games unbeaten by defeating Aberdeen.

The pair meet on Sunday and it hasn’t been lost on those inside McDiarmid Park that the last defeat suffered by Celtic at the hands of a Scottish team was the Perth club’s 2-1 home victory on May 11.

Clark was in goal that night as Saints came back from one down to score through Steven MacLean and Graham Cummins.

They also ran the champions close just last week, losing by the only goal at Celtic Park after a decent performance.

It is still a daunting a task for Clark and his colleagues but they will be giving it a go on Sunday.

The goalie said: “I see Celtic won again and they seem to be beating everyone, so we know it’s going to be a tough game.

“You see them being 25 points clear at the top and they have quality throughout their squad.

“You also see them making five or six changes and they still win games convincingly.

“They have brought in good signings and there is talk of £40 million for Moussa Dembele so there is a lot of quality there.

“It’s always been a tough game against Celtic – anyone in the league will tell you that – but even more so this season.

“But if we can emulate the performance we had against them at Parkhead the other week then who knows?” he said.

“We were the last team to beat them domestically so it would be nice to be the next.

“That win at the end of last season seems a long time ago now and there have been a lot of changes since then.

“Their manager Brendan Rodgers has got them playing nice football and they are much stronger than last season.

“It will be a proud moment for the first team to beat them and we hope it’s us.”

Clark’s display in the 1-0 win against the Jags, particularly in the first half, was very impressive and built the foundation for MacLean’s winning goal five minutes before the break.

The keeper reflected: “It was one of those nights when we had to dig deep to get three points but we seem to have that quality where we are not at our best but we’re still in the game.

“To go 1-0 up just before halftime was ideal because we had something to hold on to in the second half and we played better after the break.

“Over the years we’ve had that quality where we can still win games in these situations.

“We have that togetherness in the dressing room. Everybody wants to fight for each other. It’s a great thing to have.

“It is also always pleasing as a goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet and make a few saves at crucial times.

“But at the end of the day it’s all about the team and winning three points.”

Upbeat: Zander Clark.