Celtic 5-1 St Mirren – A splendid win for Celtic in the end

A splendid win for Celtic in the end, although it wasn’t always as straightforward as the score line would suggest. The first half was a slightly frustrating experience with too many stoppages for injury which tended to slow the play down, and although Celtic were one up with a very well made and executed goal, they were not yet in total command.

Celtic v St Mirren – Aaron Mooy and Daizen Maeda celebrate Maeda scoring the first goal of the game Scottish Cup fifth round match at Celtic Park, Saturday February 11, 2023. Photo Steve Welsh

The second half saw Celtic step up a gear, although the Buddies kept battling. The penalty was rather obvious, and it beats me how VAR had to take so long to decide. At least it would have beaten me if I had not known how crazy they were! You simply couldn’t make them up! The sending off of the St Mirren man was harsh, but that is the fault of the Law, rather than a decision of Steven McLean.

However, the penalty was no more than Celtic deserved and they now turned it on with Oh getting his first goal and then two absolute belters which we will never tire of watching on You Tube. St Mirren’s irrelevant penalty was possibly the correct decision, but VAR had, yet again, to get its oar in.

Celtic v St Mirren – Reo Hatate scores the second goal of game from the penalty spot during the Scottish Cup fifth round match at Celtic Park, Saturday February 11, 2023. Photo Steve Welsh

Of our players, I thought that Cameron Carter-Vickers thoroughly deserved his Man of The Match award, although Daizen Maeda ran him close. It was difficult to find fault with any Celtic player, but possibly David Turnbull is at his best when he is deployed as a second half substitute. But the strength of our side is simply this, that the men who come on as subs are as good as those they replace. It is a very strong squad, and they should win a lot of silver this season, the important thing being that they mustn’t freeze on important decisions like two weeks time, for example.

Celtic v St Mirren – Hyeongyu Oh goes close during the Scottish Cup fifth round match at Celtic Park, : Saturday February 11, 2023. Photo Steve Welsh

So who do we want in the next round? Wouldn’t mind Partick Thistle myself! But the Premier teams are fair disappearing, are they not? Motherwell (fairly predictably) and Livingston (less so) blew up, so the draw will make for exciting watching.

All in all, a satisfactory night with some good football and some good goals. Steven McLean didn’t have a particularly good game, but at least one of his linesman seems to have been elevated to the Peerage, because I saw a banner telling me that Douglas Ross was a Count!

David Potter