CELTIC'S bid to retain the championship was kept alive thanks to an own goal from Martyn Corrigan at Parkhead yesterday. The champions had enough chances to win comfortably but found goalkeeper Alan Combe in superb form, while the Kilmarnock defence
was of the stonewall variety.
It would have been a travesty of justice if Kilmarnock had taken anything from this game as they defended resolutely for most of the match, only deigning to press forward after they went behind. It is difficult to recall the visitors creating a clear-cut chance.
"I thought we played really well and to make that number of chances was more than I could expect," said Celtic manager Gordon Strachan. "Artur Boruc could have been sitting with me."
He was forced to reshuffle his side early when both Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Andreas Hinkel retired hurt. In the former's case it was because of a gaping head wound including a burst blood vessel received in an accidental clash with Kilmarnock centre-back Simon Ford's "head of steel", as his manager Jim Jefferies termed it. The Dutchman had five stitches inserted and was refused permission to return by the club doctor because of the worrying amount of blood he had lost. The German right-back came off with a thigh strain but had been suffering from the ubiquitous winter sickness virus.
With Derek Riordan on for Hinkel, Paul Hartley showed his versatility by switching to right back from left midfield, while Chris Killen replaced Vennegoor of Hesselink up front. Perhaps people will believe Strachan now when he says he needs every player on Celtic's books.
The champions went on to dominate the first half totally – Kilmarnock did not have a shot on target. There is no mystery as to why Celtic did not score. Combe saw to that, just as he did on the opening day of the season when earning his side a goalless draw at the same venue.
His first quite excellent save was after just 12 minutes when Scott McDonald cut in from the left, jinked by two defenders and unleashed a fierce low shot which Combe dived to tip round the post. In the 21st minute, the proverbial goalmouth stramash ended with Combe instinctively parrying away McDonald's close-range effort, before saving a similar attempt from Killen.
Had Scott Brown connected with Shunsuke Nakamura's bullet cross, Combe could have done nothing about it, but he wasn't too troubled by Killen's 30-yard shot and, though beaten by McDonald's 28th-minute effort from a tight angle, the ball ended up in the side netting.
Combe's best save came from an outrageous effort in 32 minutes by Riordan. The former Hibs player attempted to chip the ball over Combe from outside the penalty box, and the goalkeeper only just managed to tip the ball over the bar. Riordan was foiled by Combe again five minutes later, a lung-bursting run and shot from distance bringing out another good save. The half ended with Celtic very much in the ascendancy, and despite brief flurries by Kilmarnock, the second period continued in that vein.
McDonald saw Combe save his shot following a defence-splitting reverse pass from Nakamura before the Australian went down in the box under pressure from Garry Hay and had his name taken by referee Mike McCurry for his remarks after the penalty was correctly not given. Paul Di Giacomo joined McDonald in the book for booting the ball away after the whistle had been blown.
With 62 minutes on the clock, Celtic mounted yet another sally down the right wing and Brown's shot across goal was deflected into his own net by the outstretched Corrigan. Combe was livid, as he could see the ball was going safely wide. After the own goal, Kilmarnock came out of their shell and began to play further up the pitch, though never quite presenting a serious threat to Celtic's defence, which in any case looked more solid than of late.
The champions were still by far the more likely looking team, but a shot on the turn by Killen was comfortably held by Combe before Nakamura was off target with a thunderbolt. Kilmarnock pressed more late in the match, and Boruc actually handled the ball twice in a minute, though on neither occasion could it be described as a save as there was just no danger. Riordan may or may not be leaving Parkhead in this transfer window, and if he is he will regret another miss in the dying minutes, his shot whistling just over.
"Alan Combe was brilliant and I'll never know how he is not in the Scotland set-up," said Jefferies afterwards, adding mysteriously: "I do know why it is but I will keep it to myself. But I know it's not about ability." On yesterday's display, whoever becomes the new Scotland manager should give Combe a call as soon as possible.
The full article contains 833 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
