St. Johnston 0-2 Celtic: Neil Lennon’s late team won at McDermid Park

Late goals from Lee Griffiths and Patrick Climala snatched three points from the Scottish Premier League in favor of Celtic after a tough match against St. Johnston.

Substitute mate Klimala then confirmed the points in depth in stoppage time with a finish at the near post.

The win put Celtic ahead of the Rangers, having both played nine games.

However, Steven Gerrard’s squad can return to the top when they welcome Ross County at 15:00 GMT.

For St. Johnston, it was their fourth consecutive league defeat and they have scored only once in their last seven matches.

Callum Davidson’s side had the best chance in organizational time, Craig Conway smashed a bid against a straight forward, and Perth also had the clearest chance in the opening half hour.

Conway’s swinging ball attracted Vasilis Barkas away from his streak. David Witherspoon came ahead, but he got a lot in his head when he just needed to peek at her into the keeper of the Celtic goalkeeper.

With David Turnbull – in his debut – one of three changes from Thursday’s Europa League win in Bosnia, Celtic had the majority of early possession.

In fact, they would have had an early penalty had referee Nick Welsh spotted Liam Gordon pulling Shane Duffy’s shirt in a corner.

Callum McGregor, then Edward Odson, had slots but St Johnston was closer when Conway shook the post after David Waterspoon took him a superb early cross pass.

That was a wake-up call to Celtic. Turnbull missed a header after MacGregor had picked it up, before Clemala fired the ball at a narrow range and Griffith blocked an attempt to deflect.

However, when the opportunity came in the 90th minute, he made no mistake. Hatem Al Hamid found a cross pass on the Scottish striker, who buried his head in Clark’s goal.

There was still time for Klimala to make the match look a lot more comfortable than it had been, as the Polish striker took on a challenge before taking off into the near corner.

Man of the Match – Lee Griffiths

what did we learn?

Celtic results have been excellent in recent weeks, but they are clearly not performing at their best.

Think back to the start of the year, when they were shooting all cylinders and Griffiths and Edward form a good partnership. Griffiths first appeared for the term here and had a real impact.

This show was an encouragement to Saint Johnston. Although they were on a bad trajectory, they looked confident in the ball and guaranteed to defend themselves, with the three defenders in particular. With a better finish, they could have won the match.

What did they say?

Saint Johnston director Callum Davidson: “I thought the players had performed at a very high level and restricted Celtic to very few changes.

“I’m so frustrated for them more than anything. Celtic offers five super substitutes as they chase the match.”

Celtic coach Neil Lennon: “I think the submarines gave us more urgency. I think the first half wasn’t good enough, the second was better.

“It’s clearly the influence of Scott Brown on the team. You can’t wear any kind of stats he gives.”

What’s Next?

After the international break, the big game for Celtic was Old Firm on October 17th. Meanwhile, St Johnston will play two League Cup matches next week – Celtic Hearts on Wednesday and then Brisbane City on Saturday.