CLARKE’S KILLIE HIJACK THE SHOW
All-change Celtic equal a 100-year record but Clarke’s men make their point with a real battling display
CELTIC equalled a 100-year record by avoiding defeat for the 62nd game running — but the day’s real achievement belonged to Kilmarnock and their estimable new manager Steve Clarke.
The Ayrshire club may remain grateful to goal difference for keeping them off the foot of the Premiership table, but this second hard-earned point of the week in Glasgow is the sign of marked improvement.
The club’s board may have dug deep financially to fund Clarke’s appointment, but the investment in a man who once jousted with Brendan Rodgers on the touchlines of the English Premier League already looks a wise one.
In some respects, they were even more assured at the home of Rodgers’ unbeaten side than at Ibrox last midweek when a stoppage-time effort from Chris Burke claimed a share of the spoils against Rangers.
Quite fittingly Jordan Jones was the man who found the equalising touch this time, the forward the pick of a bunch who laboured so badly under then manager Lee McCulloch in the opening weeks of the season.
Jones’ goal took the gloss of this latest milestone for Rodgers’ side but, in both mind and body, this always looked like a Celtic team that had an eye on Tuesday night’s visit of Bayern Munich. It’s no mean feat to have emulated a record set by Willie Maley’s players in 1917 but Rodgers sees the Champions League as Celtic’s real proving ground.
Rumours that a massive delivery of cotton wool had been received at the club’s Lennoxtown training centre towards the end of the week were given credence by the number of changes in their starting line-up.
No fewer than six of the men who destroyed Aberdeen at Pittodrie in midweek were left out, most notably double goalscorer Moussa Dembele and captain Scott Brown.
Despite the manager’s caution, there was still a price to be paid from this game with a hamstring injury forcing Patrick Roberts off early and rendering him unavailable for Tuesday.
Of the inclusions, the names of Kristoffer Ajer and Michael Johnston leapt off the page.
Johnston has been a rising star with the club’s development side and was given a run-out in Scott Sinclair’s normal beat on the left flank, while Ajer partnered Nir Bitton in a makeshift central defence.
Any encouragement Kilmarnock had taken from Ibrox was not immediately apparent as Celtic attacked in waves. Leigh Griffiths headed just over from a Kieran Tierney cross, Tom Rogic curled a shot wide, while Olivier Ntcham, Mikael Lustig and Roberts all had efforts that threatened.
An early feature of the game was Eboue Kouassi’s crossfield pass to Roberts, who left Stuart Findlay spinning like a vintage 78 rpm record with a series of feints, nutmegs and dragbacks.
Ultimately, the on-loan Manchester City was to damage himself as one pivot too many caused damage to his left tendon. His substitution can only have brought relief to Findlay.
Sinclair’s arrival saw Johnston posted on the right in Roberts’ place but Kouassi decided to go more direct for his next raking pass and the change of tack brought the opening goal.
Griffiths peeled off Gordon Greer’s shoulder and accepted the gift first time, side-footing a rightfoot shot under Jamie MacDonald.
The Celtic striker scampered off in celebration but Kouassi was clearly pleased with the assist, raising his arms as if he had tucked the chance away himself.
To be fair to the Ivorian, this would have felt like a breakthrough moment. The settling-in period has been long and disrupted by injury since his move from Russian football back in January and, still only 19, he may now feel primed to make good on the promise shown during some powerful pre-season performances.
Jones was almost a lone beacon of attacking flair for Killie during the darker days of the past couple of seasons and he lit the way for the comeback.
The former Middlesbrough prospect laid down a marker with the visitors’ first proper effort on goal, a free-kick dispatched a little too high early in the second half and then went much closer with a low drive that rattled off the inside of Craig Gordon’s post.
The move developed with Jones
again taking up possession, swapping passes with Rory McKenzie and then producing a low finish into the far corner of the net.
Rodgers responded by introducing the verve of Stuart Armstrong to his midfield in place of the more cautious Ntcham, but still Jones flourished, forcing Rogic into an uncharacteristic lunge to halt a raking run. The Australian was shown a yellow card.
Dembele then arrived but the planned shift in tempo did not materialise.
Burke almost trumped his midweek goalscoring moment with a low drive that forced Gordon into a save as Clarke implored his players to search for a winner.
The ploy was not without risk but Celtic, with Sinclair and Dembele stuck in the wrong gear, could just not get going.