CELTIC dominated this evening’s penultimate Premiership match of the season against a highly organised and ultra defensive Kilmarnock side but could not get the goal that their pressure deserved.
There have frankly been too many disappointing home performances from Celtic this season with too many inferior teams finding a way to grab a point.
Celtic started the game with no strikers but didn’t look too concerned about that as Scotty Sinclair began to find a bit of form and his link up play with Calvin Miller on the left hand side was causing Kilmarnock all sorts of problems.
Stuart Armstrong was also lively and he won a free kick on the edge of the area and swung it in himself. Simunovic got his head to it at the far post and headed back across the keeper and into the net but the flag, surprisingly went up much to the annoyance of the Celtic players.
Scotty Sinclair nearly gave Celtic the lead shortly afterwards after a lovely one two with Paddy Roberts but his effort from a narrow angle missed the far post by inches and rolled wide.
Kilmarnock offered zero as an attacking threat all night – they had zero attempts at goal and didn’t look like having any offensive ambition whatsoever.
Celtic started the second half well then lost their way for a period before absolutely pounding the Killie goal in search of a winner.
The corner count was mounting up and reached double figures and rather unusually for this season the delivery from Armstrong and then McGregor were creating chances. One fell to Jack Hendry who ran onto the ball four yards out and with the bottom corner of the Kilmarnock net straight ahead. Somehow he screwed his effort wide. Running back he pulled his shirt over his head in frustration.
Brendan Rodgers took Armstrong and the tiring Miller off for Rogic and Tierney and the left side began to cause Killie problems again. Tierney’s deliveries into the box though had no takers and Kilmarnock survived.
The last substitution saw Ewan Henderson make his debut and he certainly looked comfortable at this level and confident enough to take possession and build the play.
The crowd by this time had seen enough and were heading to the buses and car parking space – which incidentally will be a thing of the past from next season putting hundreds of wee guys who charge to “watch yer motor” out of business.
Celtic will have Leigh Griffiths and Moussa Dembele available for the visit of Aberdeen on Saturday. The Dons will be looking for the 3 points which would guarantee them second place in the league, so they are unlikely to sit in and spoil the match a la this Kilmarnock side.
One other wee point to note, we got the opportunity to watch tonight’s game from the Standing Section and it is quite an experience. The supporters in there when you see it up close are so committed to the occasion and give 100% support to the team.
The Celtic Star Man of the Match – Two Bhoys with the megaphones on the wee podium in front of the Green Brigade, or maybe Scotty Sinclair should get it.
