ROGIC ROCKET BLASTS KILLIE

Aussie sub strikes late with wonder goal to give edgy Celtic crucial win

WHEN Ronny Deila elected to throw on Tom Rogic with just 12 minutes remaining, it felt like an almost random last throw of the dice.

Come the end of the campaign, however, the Norwegian might view the substitution as his most important call of the season.

Time was running out after a bitty, incoherent performance when Deila made the decision to remove Nir Bitton from his midfield.

The stadium scoreboard at Rugby Park showed just seven seconds to go when Rogic’s 30-yard shot crashed into the back of Jamie MacDonald’s net.

Had the goal not arrived, the Celtic supporters who celebrated so raucously with first the players, then the manager, might have greeted the sound of the final whistle with an altogether different verdict.

The unexpected, spectacular nature of the Australian’s goal made it feel like a big moment in the club’s pursuit of a fifth successive title.

Who knows, it may even have an effect on Deila’s prospects of keeping his job.

What can be said for sure is that plenty of bottled-up emotion came pouring out as he joined the fans in a rebirth of his fist-pumping Ronny Roar celebration at time up.

Deila made no attempt to pretend Celtic had played well and, had they not scored, he would have faced scrutiny on how his team had failed to avert a third straight draw against a Kilmarnock side fighting to avoid relegation.

Given the Ayrshire team’s wider struggles, it is surprising how difficult they have made it for the champions this season.

Both previous draws showcased two sides of Kilmarnock. The first, a 2-2 stalemate here in August, saw them go to toe-to-toe with the defending champions.

Contrastingly, the goalless game at Celtic Park in November was a victory for organisation and endeavour.

Perhaps surprisingly, given the Ayrshire men’s failure to score in three of his four matches since he succeeded Gary Locke, Lee Clark decided to go with the attacking approach.

With Josh Magennis out injured, Kris Boyd was right up against Erik Sviatchenko and Charlie Mulgrew, with Kallum Higginbotham revelling in a supporting role. The former Partick Thistle man scored a late, audaciously chipped, penalty to secure the point on Celtic’s last visit and he looked hungry for more glory.

One fine delivery from the left presented Boyd with a back-post chance, but Craig Gordon was equal to the striker’s cushioned volley.

A Scott Brown slip gave Higginbotham the chance to carve out an even better opportunity for Boyd. His weighted pass put the striker through on a foot race with Sviatchenko, but Gordon was out quickly to save.

Higginbotham’s sure touch deserted him on the rebound as his shot had too much loft and power.

Celtic were making some running of their own. With Colin KazimRichards introduced to a front three alongside Kris Commons and Leigh Griffiths, this was something of a departure from Deila’s normal game plan.

Normally so reliant on Griffiths, the efforts on goal were coming from all angles and sources, with Bitton, Mikael Lustig, Commons and Sviatchenko all joining the central striker in threatening an opener without forcing MacDonald into anything too difficult.

The sight of Kieran Tierney pulling up just before half-time could only have concerned a visiting support that had been swelled by Celtic’s decision to subsidise the ticket price.

Tierney’s withdrawal forced a reshuffle, with centre-back Dedryck Boyata coming on in his place and Mulgrew shuffling over to plug the gap at left-back.

Deila is hardly averse to tinkering, with this weekend’s starting line-up a 46th unique selection in 48 matches this season.

Griffiths may be a regular up front but the constantly revolving cast behind him makes intuitive attacking play difficult.

Kazim-Richards found it hard to force his way into the game, but a half-time change of shape — accommodated by Commons’ surprise withdrawal — saw him moved to partner Griffiths, with sub Patrick Roberts on one flank and Callum McGregor on the other.

On loan from Manchester City, Roberts is an adept dribbler. One run and shot off the right provided a corner from which he set up Sviatchenko for a back-post header that Julien Faubert nodded off the line.

Yet if Celtic were seeing more of the ball, Killie were looking at least as dangerous on the counter and, in Faubert, possessed the game’s outstanding player.

Once of West Ham, Real Madrid and the French national team, Faubert was a class act in midfield and appeared to grow stronger as the game wore on.

Full-back Lee Hodson began the half with a shot which whistled wide and then Tope Obadeyi, on for Boyd, was wasteful in the extreme after being freed by a Faubert pass.

The sub’s searching run sucked in Celtic’s centre-halves but either through a lack of awareness — or sheer selfishness — Obadeyi chose to continue on his own while the unmarked Higginbotham screamed for service on the right. The resultant shot was predictably off target.

Then, in the closing seconds, Rogic stepped up. Collecting McGregor’s pass, the Australian let the ball run across his body and unleashed an unstoppable 30-yard shot.