These are the games that win titles…
David Turnbull of Celtic reacts after scoring his team’s first goal during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and St. Mirren FC at Celtic Park on November 01, 2023 . (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Last night’s win against St Mirren could prove vital in the long run. Yes it was a slog, and we didn’t play that badly but it was a hard watch at times.
Credit has to go to St Mirren also, who weren’t exactly spectacular but solid as a unit and well worth their current position in the league. They are very well coached and all the players do their job well.
Hyeongyu Oh of Celtic celebrates after he scores his team’s second goal during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and St. Mirren FC at Celtic Park Stadium on November 01, 2023 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Our two goals on the night were brilliant efforts. Big Oh’s strike at the end was brilliantly executed with great link up play starting with Kyogo, resulting in a cracking assist from Odin Thiago Holm and that emphatic finish.
Celtic Park breathed a collective sigh of relief when that went in. It was tight in the end but these are the wins that count come May when the prizes are handed out.
Yes, the results you grind out while not being at your best. It’s the mark of Champions.
Zach Hemming of St Mirren saves from Kyogo Furuhashi of Celtic during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and St. Mirren FC at Celtic Park on November 01, 2023 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
It’s something we’ve done in years gone by, under Ange and Brendan first time around and also Neil Lennon and even Ronny Deila, remember Tom Rogic’s goal down at Kilmarnock?
We usually hit a little lull during the October November period. We can’t always play attractive football and of course there have been other distractions recently that can’t exactly help.
Any domestic dip also understandable due to European commitments, but we more often than not grind the results out. That’s all that matters.
Celtic v St Mirren – cinch Premiership – Celtic Park Referee John Beaton right shows a yellow card to Celtic s Kyogo Furuhashi during the cinch Premiership match at Celtic Park, Wednesday November 1, 2023. Photo Andrew Milligan
We are winners and we’ve proved that time after time. Come May, these are the games you look back on as being vital. I’ve no worries that season will be any different and it will be a case of normal service being resumed when the title celebrations get underway.
Celtic have now played every opponent in the Scottish Premiership as indeed have our title rivals theRangers. But they have now to go to Pittodrie, Easter Road and Tynecastle while we have Aberdeen, Hibs and Hearts coming to Celtic Park and of course the next Glasgow Derby is at Paradise.
With the tougher start due to the away fixtures we were given, Celtic still find ourselves five points clear at the top of the league looking down on theRangers, a position all of us would have been happy to accept at the start of the season.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
Matt Corr’s new book Majic, Stan and the King of Japan is out now and Neil Lennon, the Celtic captain that season, has written the foreword for us.
You can get a signed copy of the hardback version direct from Celtic Star Books by clicking on the image below. It’s also available an an e-book via Amazon Kindle and please note that all colour photographs that appear in the beautifully presented printed hardback book are also available in the Kindle version of Majic, Stan and the King of Japan…