2015-04-03: St Mirren 0-2 Celtic, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2014 – 2015 | 2014-15 Pictures

Trivia

• First League game for weeks due to the Scottish Cup, League Cup & internationals.
• Friday night game. Easter weekend.
• Guidetti incredibly under investigation over charge of unoffensive words used in a Dutch TV interview.
• Complaint sent to an SFA judicial panel. He recited 'The Huns are deid' as part of the Guidetti song…. All so ridiculous. Celtic clear they are surprised by this and back the player.
• Dundee United's Paton to stand trial over alleged assault of Celtic's Zaluska.
• Ex-Celt Fraser Forster feared to be out for up to a year after a knee injury at his current club (Southampton). We wish him a speedy recovery.
• Internationals: Scotland 1-0 N Ireland (friendly), Scotland 6-1 Gibraltar (their first ever goal). Scotland v Ireland next in June which is a must win game for both sides. Group of Death with Poland top 11pts,world cup winners Germany 10pts, Scotland also 10pts and Ireland fourth on 8pts.
• Liam Henderson scores two in u21 win for Scotland. Good news, but he is next loaned out to Rosenburg (Norway). Good luck to him.
• Rumours of interest by Celtic for an Iranian player and one or two other players.
• Denayer makes international debut for Belgium. Congrats.
• Ex Celt Cha Du Ri retires from football.
• Sevco delisted from the stock exchange due to the loss of auditor & Nominated Advisor.

Review

(Bundy1967 of KDS)
I got to this game at the last minute as I was up in Scotland for a family bereavement, I was in the St Mirren end next to the edge of the 18 yard box and watched Forrest closely. He was dire in the first half and Tesselar had him in his pocket. His decision making was terrible, was going short when he should have been bursting down the line and vice versa, Commons, Johansen and Matthews all had a pop at him as they got caught in possession because they had no pass on due to this, he looked very frustrated. believe it or not, but Stokes showed good movement in the first half, and chased down well, but he's never a lone striker, their keeper actually made two great saves from Commons and I think Forrest, I told my daughters, their first game ever, that it was only a matter of time as there was never any danger they would score, the boy McGinn looked like a big powerful runner in there midfield too, might be worth watching further.

(Remy of KDS forum)
We were pretty flat overall. The changes didn't help us. Broken down record but a) Johansen in the two very rarely works and b) ditto Stokes as a lone striker. Both were terrible although Johansen was much better once shunted further forward. Forrest had a truly abysmal first half but was much better after the break and that was a big goal he scored. Hopefully he continues at his second half level.

Not great but three points so let's see how the sheep do today.

Btw St Mirren aren't the worst team in this league by a good bit.

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Stats

St Mirren Celtic
Possession
65% 35%
90mins

Shots
6 13

On target
3 7

Corners
2 5

Fouls
9 10

Articles

St Mirren 0-2 Celtic: Hoops stretch advantage at the top
STV
3 April 2015 21:55 BST
http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/celtic/316094-st-mirren-0-2-celtic-hoops-stretch-advantage-at-the-top/

James Forrest James Forrest opened the scoring at St Mirren Park.SNS Group

Celtic went eight points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a perfunctory 2-0 win over bottom side St Mirren in Paisley.

Buddies goalkeeper Mark Ridgers made good saves from Kris Commons and James Forrest in the first half but the latter opened the scoring in the 63rd minute when he finished off a fine move from close range.

When Forrest's drive was blocked by the arm of St Mirren defender Victor Genev for a penalty in the 79th minute, midfielder Stefan Johansen slotted in the spot-kick to widen the gap over second-placed Aberdeen with nine games remaining for both teams.

Saints remain four points behind second-bottom Motherwell, whom they play on Tuesday night after the Steelmen face Kilmarnock on Saturday, and they proved to be awkward customers.

However, they need to get points on the board soon or they will find themselves in the Championship next season.

With a tough fixture schedule coming up, Hoops manager Ronny Deila took the chance to freshen up his side.

Commons, Forrest, Adam Matthews and Anthony Stokes returned to the starting line-up as Efe Ambrose, Gary Mackay-Steven, Nir Bitton and John Guidetti all started on the bench.

Kieran Sadlier made his first start for the Buddies as Marc McAusland and Yoann Arquin were also brought in, with Steven Thompson, Alan Gow and Sean Kelly listed among the substitutes.

Celtic had picked up 13 wins and a draw in their last 14 league matches against the Paisley side and there seemed little chance of St Mirren denting that impressive Hoops' record in the early stages.

After Stokes dragged an early drive wide, Commons had three attempts at making the breakthrough.

The first was saved by Ridgers at the near post, the second hit the side-netting and he should have scored the third.

A clever pass from midfielder Stuart Armstrong in the 25th minute left Stokes with only Ridgers to beat – but he blasted the ball straight at the St Mirren keeper.

Meanwhile, in the Celtic goal, Craig Gordon had been all but redundant until just before the half-hour mark when he stretched to save a Stephen Mallan header following a Sadlier cross.

Ridgers then denied Forrest after he had been set up by Commons to suggest it just might be the keeper's night – and indeed the home side grew in confidence as the match edged towards the interval.

In the 36th minute there was a Saints penalty claim when Mallan went down in the box under Armstrong's challenge but to no avail and when the ball broke to Arquin, his low drive from the edge of the box was saved by Gordon.

Aside from St Mirren midfielder Jim Goodwin picking up a yellow card for a reckless challenge on Parkhead captain Scott Brown there was little else of note before the break.

Celtic's goal was a touch of class in what was otherwise a scrappy start to the second half.

Brown took the ball from Commons and quickly threaded a pass through a packed penalty area to Matthews. When the Wales defender cut the ball back, Forrest bundled it past Ridgers to some relief from the travelling fans.

The points were sealed when referee Alan Muir pointed to the spot after Genev was adjudged to have handled Forrest's shot, with Johansen confidently knocking the penalty past Ridgers to keep the Scottish League Cup winners on course for the treble.

BBC

By Richard Wilson BBC Scotland at St Mirren Park

Celtic move eight points clear at top
James Forrest finishes Adam Matthew cut-back
Stefan Johansen penalty after Viktor Genev hand ball
St Mirren four points adrift at bottom

Celtic showed the poise and patience of champions as they overcame St Mirren to move eight points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

The home side defended deep and in numbers, and were spirited at times.

A clever James Forrest goal and a Stefan Johansen penalty secured the victory for Celtic, who won without being at their most commanding.

St Mirren, who are focused on survival, could only take heart from moments of optimism scattered through the game.

And, despite at times giving Celtic a scare, they remain four points adrift at the bottom of the league.

The home side set out to stand their ground, denying Celtic the space and time in which to express themselves. The immediate challenge for Saints was to deal with the drifting menace of Kris Commons.

By dropping into pockets of space, Commons was a conundrum to St Mirren, since the defensive midfielder, Jim Goodwin, sat in front of the back four rather than follow him around the field.

There was not relentless pressure from the visitors, but Commons' interventions tended to be inventive.

On one occasion, he twice befuddled Marc McAusland before also trying to fool the goalkeeper Mark Ridgers by shaping to cross from the left but then rifling a shot towards the near post. Ridgers was agile enough to dive and save the effort, though.

After sending another effort into the side-netting and drawing a second smart save from Ridgers, Commons turned provider.

From his quick free-kick, the ball was worked upfield then back to Commons, who slipped a pass into the path of Forrest. His low shot from distance brought another fine save.

St Mirren were not overwhelmed, though, and occasionally found themselves able to push the Celtic defence back. Stephen Mallan and John McGinn were composed in central midfield, while James Dayton and Kieran Sadlier were intermittently bright out wide.
James Forrest (grounded) watches his shot hit the net to give Celtic the lead

James Forrest (grounded) watches his shot hit the net to give Celtic the lead

The latter delivered a dangerous cross after being fed the ball by Jeroen Tesselaar, which Mallan met with a header, but there was not enough power or direction to trouble the Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon.

For all that these two sides had not seemed evenly matched, there was a spirit to St Mirren that suggests they will make a fight of the relegation battle until the end of the season. Celtic could afford to be more poised, since they could believe that their greater quality would eventually tell.

The teams traded chances in the second half, with Stokes snapping a shot on target that Ridgers held, while Mallan drove wide when the ball fell to him 25 yards out.

St Mirren had to be resourceful, since they were not good enough to submit Celtic to periods of pressure, while the visitors were able to command the ball in their opponents' half.

That eventually proved telling when they used precise, close-quarters passing to spring Commons down the inside right channel and his cutback was crisply steered into the net by Forrest.

St Mirren would have felt deflated, but there was also a moment of grievance.

When Forrest, having been enlivened by the goal, struck another effort on target, the ball spun off the hand of Victor Genev. The defender claimed that the contact was accidental, but the referee Alan Muir pointed to the spot.

Johansen converted the penalty with calm assurance, in keeping with the temperament of Celtic's play.

This was not a dismantling of St Mirren, who showed an element of resolve, but it was the kind of display and result that underpins a side's progress towards the title.

Live Text Commentary
Full time

Full Time Match ends, St. Mirren 0, Celtic 2.
90:00 +2:08 Full time

Full Time Second Half ends, St. Mirren 0, Celtic 2.
90:00 +1:33

Attempt blocked. Yoann Arquin (St. Mirren) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
89:52

Foul by Stefan Johansen (Celtic).
89:52

Jason Naismith (St. Mirren) wins a free kick on the left wing.
88:06

Corner, St. Mirren. Conceded by Gary Mackay-Steven.
84:59

Attempt missed. Gary Mackay-Steven (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
79:00 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! St. Mirren 0, Celtic 2. Stefan Johansen (Celtic) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom left corner.
78:55 Booking

Booking Viktor Genev (St. Mirren) is shown the yellow card for hand ball.
78:37

Penalty conceded by Viktor Genev (St. Mirren) with a hand ball in the penalty area.
77:16 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, St. Mirren. Steven Thompson replaces James Dayton.
76:53 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, St. Mirren. Emmanuel Sonupe replaces Stephen Mallan.
72:15 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, St. Mirren. Lewis Morgan replaces Kieran Sadlier.
71:55 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Gary Mackay-Steven replaces Kris Commons.
68:00

Jason Denayer (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
67:59

Foul by Viktor Genev (St. Mirren).
66:55

Foul by Kris Commons (Celtic).
66:55

Jeroen Tesselaar (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
65:10 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Nir Bitton replaces Stuart Armstrong.
64:52 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Celtic. Efe Ambrose replaces Adam Matthews.
63:39 Goal scored

Goal! Goal! St. Mirren 0, Celtic 1. James Forrest (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Adam Matthews.
62:09

Foul by James Forrest (Celtic).
62:09

Jeroen Tesselaar (St. Mirren) wins a free kick on the right wing.
60:58

Attempt missed. Virgil van Dijk (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
59:57

Attempt missed. Yoann Arquin (St. Mirren) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
59:23

Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
59:23

Foul by Yoann Arquin (St. Mirren).
57:43

Foul by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
57:43

James Dayton (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
57:25

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Marc McAusland.
57:08

Attempt saved. Stuart Armstrong (Celtic) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
55:25

Attempt missed. Stephen Mallan (St. Mirren) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
53:33

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Jeroen Tesselaar.
49:20

Attempt missed. Stuart Armstrong (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
48:31

James Forrest (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
48:31

Foul by Jeroen Tesselaar (St. Mirren).
47:36

Attempt saved. Anthony Stokes (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
46:34

Attempt missed. Stuart Armstrong (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
45:00

Second Half begins St. Mirren 0, Celtic 0.
45:00 +0:05 Half time

Half Time First Half ends, St. Mirren 0, Celtic 0.
43:13

Hand ball by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
39:41

Attempt saved. Kieran Sadlier (St. Mirren) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
37:31 Booking

Booking Jim Goodwin (St. Mirren) is shown the yellow card.
37:27

Kris Commons (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
37:27

Foul by Jim Goodwin (St. Mirren).
35:52

Attempt saved. Yoann Arquin (St. Mirren) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
34:21

Foul by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
34:21

James Dayton (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
33:53

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Mark Ridgers.
33:38

Attempt saved. James Forrest (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
31:55

Corner, St. Mirren. Conceded by Emilio Izaguirre.
30:00

Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
29:59

Foul by Jason Naismith (St. Mirren).
29:37

Attempt saved. Stephen Mallan (St. Mirren) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
25:48

Foul by Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic).
25:48

Stephen Mallan (St. Mirren) wins a free kick on the left wing.
25:16

Attempt saved. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
25:07

Kris Commons (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
25:07

Foul by Viktor Genev (St. Mirren).
21:55

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Marc McAusland.
19:48

Foul by Stefan Johansen (Celtic).
19:48

Jim Goodwin (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
18:34

Attempt missed. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right.
18:17

Stefan Johansen (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
18:17

Foul by John McGinn (St. Mirren).
8:33

Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
8:33

Stephen Mallan (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
8:07

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Marc McAusland.
7:54

Attempt saved. Kris Commons (Celtic) right footed shot from a difficult angle and long range on the left is saved in the centre of the goal.
6:04

Foul by Anthony Stokes (Celtic).
6:04

James Dayton (St. Mirren) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
4:55

James Forrest (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
4:55

Foul by Jeroen Tesselaar (St. Mirren).
2:21

Attempt missed. Anthony Stokes (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right.
0:00

First Half begins.
0:00

Lineups are announced and players are warming up.