St Mirren 1 Celtic 3: Celtic pole-axe Saints to make it 11 in a row

CELTIC have never had it better domestically under Gordon Strachan.

Yesterday's two-minute, two-goal burst midway through the second period of their last ever Love Street encounter more than simply undid a St Mirren side who were at that point seriously putting the frighteners on them. The sumptuously crafted strikes from Georgios Samaras and Shunsuke Nakamura made certain of an 11th straight league victory that matches the previously longest winning run of Strachan's three-and-a-half years in charge. Across that period, their current points total is also their best with two-fifths of a championship completed and, just for good measure, so is their goal-scoring.

All that makes it sound as if they are in tip-top shape for their must-win Champions League encounter in Aalborg. Yet, until they were 2-0 up, there was nothing very convincing about their display and much to recommend in the performance of their opponents. As with Hamilton the previous week, St Mirren were sufficiently enterprising to expose vulnerability in their hosts. And, also in common with the New Douglas Park encounter, Celtic appeared fortunate to be on the right end of a wrong decision.

It wouldn't be a Celtic and St Mirren game, or, it seems, any Celtic game these days, without some sort of controversy. At least, though, the one yesterday was real and not some manufactured nonsense about a run of play free-kick or corner. And it all centred around Artur Boruc spectacularly reintroducing himself to first-team scene after a fortnight out following a minor knee operation.

All of 15 minutes in, the Pole pole-axed Craig Dargo, having galloped from his goal to gub him, only to then escape with a yellow card from referee Willie Collum. Dargo had knocked the ball past the keeper and, though the forward was 20 yards out on the right-hand edge of the area, would have had an open goal to aim at if not halted by a horrible, high challenge. Yet, even if the over-riding feeling was that Boruc appeared to be treated leniently, none of those involved could agree on the nature of the offence.

Strachan insisted the St Mirren striker had touched the ball away from goal and, with Celtic having two defenders rushing in to the area, was not denied a goal-scoring opportunity. The Paisley club's manager Gus MacPherson claimed the brutality of the challenge alone should have warranted a dismissal. Dargo, interestingly, said he had "no complaints" about Boruc only being booked and was more "peeved" by the loss of the two goals after a first quarter of an hour of a second period that the home team had dominated.

That is to do a disservice to Celtic's part in St Mirren's downfall. Picked out by Scott McDonald in the 64th minute, Andreas Hinkel led the way for St Mirren's lancing with a lethal run and cross that set up Samaras for a six-yard tap-in. Within two minutes Hinkel's exquisite touch, control and drive were bettered after McDonald released Nakamura at the edge of the six-yard box. The Japanese midfield sold Franco Miranda with one twist before wrapping his boot around the ball and steering a low effort into the far corner.

Celtic could then rest easy. Substitute Cillian Sheridan knocked into the empty net 10 minutes from time when the ball in from McDonald broke off a St Mirren player to him, before Jim Hamilton headed a consolation at the close.

By then, the visiting players may have been in a Danish dwam. Strachan's initial team selection had hinted at Aalborg being on his mind. His determination to have as many players in his depleted squad match-sharp ahead of Tuesday's Champions League surely explained first starts for Boruc, Samaras and Glenn Loovens since their varying periods of inactivity through injury. All looked like they needed the game time. Loovens linking with Stephen McManus in central defence meant Gary Caldwell was deployed in the midfield sitting role he impressed in at Old Trafford. Pushing the Scotland international up the pitch allowed knock-carrying club and country team-mate Paul Hartley to watch from the bench along with that other notable performer of late, Sheridan.

Their vantage point could not have made for pleasant viewing for certain passages of the afternoon. As if determined to give their creaking but corkingly– atmospheric old stadium a fitting send-off on the last major occasion it will host, St Mirren endeavoured to take the game to their visitors, and did so admirably, with strikers Dennis Wyness and Dargo well supported by midfield runner Hugh Murray and Jack Ross and Miranda on the flanks. The Argentine full-back, indeed, rattled the junction of post and bar with an inswinging corner deliberately aimed there and Murray had a shot that came close.

Yet, for all that, Celtic would not have been flattered by a 2-0 lead at the interval. McDonald and Loovens were both set up for sightings of goal they would expect to convert into counters. But the Australian scuffed an effort wide after he was teed up by Hinkel and Loovens somehow failed to hit the target with a free header from 12 yards.

Strachan later admitted that his team "weathered a storm" in the opening 15 minutes of the second period, a spell during which Celtic were forced into some desperate defending in and around their own penalty box. Edginess gripped the visiting supporters, who became increasingly subdued before the quick-fire scoring double that completely destroyed any St Mirren hopes of an upset. So clinical, so classily did Celtic claim the three points in 180 seconds it was difficult to argue when the travelling band of fans found their voice and launched into choruses of "that's why we're champions". Indeed.


MAN OF THE MATCH

Andreas Hinkel is now showing the form Celtic expected of the German when paying Sevilla £1.9m for him 10 months ago.

QUICK FACT

Celtic last racked up 11 straight league wins in the corresponding period of the 2006-07 season, that winning sequence ended this weekend two years ago.

TALKING POINT

It doesn't do to say that even if Artur Boruc had gone off, Celtic would probably have ground out the win. That doesn't change the fact that his challenge was probably cynical enough to merit a red card, though it equally deserves to be said that tackle victim Craig Dargo had no issue with the Celtic keeper staying on the field.


MacPherson slates referee over Boruc's studs-up challenge

ST MIRREN manager Gus MacPherson accused referee Willie Collum of keeper rather than team bias after Celtic's Artur Boruc was only cautioned for a studs-up challenge on Craig Dargo outside his penalty area in an incident that inevitably dominated the post-match debate following Gordon Strachan side's 3-1 win.

There were questions over the severity of the foul and whether the St Mirren forward was denied a scoring opportunity but no clouding of MacPherson's judgment on the offence.

"If any outfield player made a challenge in that manner we would all expect a red card," he said. "Just because its a goalkeeper it shouldn't be any different. We are not complaining about a goalscoring opportunity, last man or anything like that, we are taking about the challenge itself. If a centre-back makes a challenge as crude, there would only be one outcome.

"The fourth official said Craig Dargo wasn't in control, but he was. It's not a leg breaker because Artur Boruc is only trying to stop Craig Dargo, but he knows what he was doing."

Dargo himself didn't exactly echo his manager's sentiments, suggesting the challenge was one of those which some referees would adjudge worthy of a red card and other not. Yet, he did also state that "if he (Boruc] had caught me full on then I would have been in a lot of pain and might have ended up in the Royal Infirmary".

Strachan concentrated only on the goalscoring opportunity denying aspect of the dumping of Dargo. "He touched the ball away from goal and we had two defenders back so it wasn't a goalscoring opportunity. I've only ever seen Mark Hughes score from away out where he was."

Meanwhile, Scott McDonald hopes Celtic will stay true to their attacking instincts when taking on Aalborg in a Champions League match that will see them seek to end a 17-game winless run in away group games.

"What we know best is playing attacking football. The times we have gone away and defended, that has been our Achilles heel."