2019-10-30: Celtic 2-0 St Mirren, SP

Match Pictures | Matches: 2019 – 2020 | 2019-20 Pictures

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Review

(FB of KDS)
A dull night at the football.
Difficult to get going against a side who were time wasting from the first minute and set up with 9 men less than 25 yards from their own goal. It’s easy to see why they don’t lose many goals, equally easy to see why they won’t score many.

We were all a bit “ after the Lord Mayors Ball”, the effects of two great results clearly showing in our play, and we witnessed a disappointing return to crab football in the first half, with everything going sideways.

The two early second half goals killed any fear of a shock, and thereafter we resorted to type on the night.
OK debut for Taylor, he looks a competent SPL player, and like others I’m happy we’ve got two better options on the right than Bauer, but that aside a pretty uneventful night all in. Now to try and choose a MOTM.

Teams

Celtic

• 67 Forster
• 13 Bauer
• 2 Jullien
• 35 Ajer
• 3 Taylor Substituted for Hayes at 88'minutes
• 8 Brown Substituted for Ntcham at 69'minutes
• 42 McGregor
• 49 Forrest
• 17 Christie
• 27 Elyounoussi
• 22 Edouard Substituted for Morgan at 82'minutes

Substitutes

• 1 Gordon
• 6 Bitton
• 15 Hayes
• 16 Morgan
• 18 Rogic
• 21 Ntcham
• 33 Elhamed

Goals

• Elyounoussi (49' minutes),
• Forrest (54' minutes)

St Mirren

• 1Hladky
• 2McGinn
• 21Broadfoot
• 5McLoughlin
• 3Waters
• 7Magennis Booked at 19mins Substituted forMullenat 75'minutes
• 8Flynn Substituted forAndreuat 63'minutes
• 4McGinn
• 16Foley
• 11Durmus Substituted forMoriasat 82'minutes
• 9Obika

Substitutes

• 6MacKenzie
• 10Andreu
• 18Mullen
• 19Morias
• 23Djorkaeff
• 24MacPherson
• 26Lyness

Referee:
Kevin Clancy
Attendance:
56,127

Articles

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• Voting Thread
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• Winner –

Stats

Celtic
St Mirren

Possession
Home67%
Away33%

Shots
Home24
Away5

Shots on Target
Home9
Away1

Corners
Home4
Away1

Fouls
Home9
Away5

Articles

Celtic 2, St Mirren 0: James Forrest marks new Hoops deal with goal – and a song

Andrew Smith
Email
Published: 22:27
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/celtic-2-st-mirren-0-james-forrest-marks-new-hoops-deal-with-goal-and-a-song-1-5036182
A new level of love from the Celtic fans to a long-serving player was revealed in the revival of an out-of-favour song at Parkhead last night.

And there was no mistaking the moment that really got the crowd going on a night when – by their recent standards – the Scottish champions produced a tame win over an impressively obdurate St Mirren to retain pole position in the Scottish Premiership.

It came when James Forrest scored eight minutes into the second period to double his team’s post-interval lead.

The goal, the winger’s 10th of the season, came only hours after a deal to keep him at Celtic until 2023 was signed by a one-club man whose modest demeanour never disguises his affection for the team he has respresented with distinction for nearly a decade.

That was recognised in the reaction to the goal, netted when the ball was shifted from Odsonne Edouard to Ryan Christie and then to Forrest, who set himself and beat Vaclav Hladky with a powerful raking drive.

A song was struck up for the 28-year-old, whose unaffected manner hasn’t made him the sort to inspire anthems.

And it was a song that once belonged to Brendan Rodgers, with the erroneous prediction that the now Leicester City manager would be here for “10 in a row”.

Instead, the “this is how it feels to be Celtic” ditty, with its “champions again don’t you know” line, was adapted to make “Jamesey Forrest” the subject.

And it is entirely possible he could play his part in title wins over the next two years to reach the magical, and unprecedented, 10 in total.

Celtic looked well short of the side that had seemed energised by this quest in demolishing Aberdeen and Ross County in their past two league games – and overcoming Lazio in bteween.

They were faced by a Jim Goodwin side drilled as efficiently as a North Korean army unit on parade.

For long spells in the first period, left back Greg Taylor must have feared he had put a hex on the home side. At long last handed a debut in Celtic colours, having previously failed to earn any minutes since his £2 million signing from Kilmarnock, it was the Paisley club who appeared at one with themselves as Celtic displayed a raggedness.

Taylor, pictured, wasn’t at fault for that, and he was a hungry presence down the left, as might be expected in the Scotland international’s first senior outing since August 17.

Too eager, indeed, for Kyle Magennis, who was booked after unceremoniously hauling him back midway through the first period.

As a collective, the Paisley side, who have now dropped to the bottom of the Premiership, succeeded in keeping Celtic on a leash in a manner beyond many other sides in Scotland – at least in the early stages.

Their shape and system resulted in Odsonne Edouard being largely smothered, but it did not preclude the league’s lowest scorers (an unfortunate statistic slightly offset by only Celtic and Rangers having conceded fewer goals) from breaking upfield.

Jon Obika drew a save from Celtic keeper Fraser Forster after he penetrated the home backline thanks to a smart Sean McLoughlin through ball, and the visitors fashioned a couple of other half chances.

Celtic had their own opportunities, of course, and Christopher Jullien headed over from a Christie corner before Ryan Flynn cleared on the line when the central defender hit the target in an identical situation.

Just before the interval, Forrest cracked the post with an effort with the outside of his right foot – an indication that the night would ultimately belong to him.

Before he was granted the honour of the Rodgers song, though, Celtic had broken St Mirren’s resistance when Edouard found the goal frame with a curling effort, Christie cannoned the rebound off Calum Waters and the ball diverted into the path of Mohamed Elyounoussi, who drilled in from eight yards.

It was a wonder that Forrest wasn’t involved in a week when it was revealed he has had more Celtic assists than any other player in the 21st century.

Even with a testimonial surely in the offing, the 81-goal winger will be assisting the club’s cause for many more years of this century.

BBC

By Martin Watt

BBC Scotland

From the section Scottish Premiership

Highlights: Celtic 2-0 St Mirren

Two early second-half strikes kept Celtic top of the Scottish Premiership on goal difference and dropped St Mirren to bottom spot.

The champions twice hit the woodwork and had a header cleared off the line in a frustrating first half.

But in a nine-minute burst, Mohamed Elyounoussi and James Forrest – marking a new four-year deal – sealed victory.

Celtic are now one goal better off than Rangers, while St Mirren are one of three sides on eight points.

The hosts gave a debut to left-back Greg Taylor almost two months after his deadline-day signing from Kilmarnock, but initially lacked the fluency of their weekend destruction of Aberdeen as the visitors defended superbly.

However, a much improved performance after the break allowed Celtic to cruise to victory before Saturday's League Cup semi-final against Hibernian.

Celtic's Bayo facing surgery – Lennon
Forrest signs new Celtic contract
Celtic and Lazio charged by Uefa

Memorable day for Forrest

Jim Goodwin's men were dreaming of a famous scalp at half-time. Forty-five minutes later, the positivity had evaporated and they were propping up the table.

Few gave the Paisley outfit a ghost of a chance on the eve of Halloween at Celtic Park, where they last won in 1990 – a barren run stretching to 24 games.

Their grisly Premiership goal haul – five in 11 matches – is in stark contrast to the free-flowing hosts, who are averaging more than three per game. Indeed, Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie have both scored more than St Mirren's entire team in the league.

However, what St Mirren lack up front they tend to make up for in defence. The fourth tightest backline in the division refused to be spooked as they superbly frustrated the hosts in the first half.

Christie hit the top of the crossbar with a 25-yard strike while Christopher Jullien could not repeat his goalscoring heroics against Lazio last week. From Christie corners, the French defender nodded wide of an open goal before having a header booted off the line by Ryan Flynn.

And when the visitors were sliced open, Vaclav Hladky came to the rescue on the stroke of half-time, tipping Forrest's near-post drive on to a post.

St Mirren offered fleeting moments of threat too, Jonathan Obika latching on to a long Sean McLoughlin ball upfield to outmuscle Kristoffer Ajer and force a low save from Fraser Forster.

Within nine minutes of the restart, though, Celtic were home and dry. Elyounoussi was on hand to pop the ball home from close range when Edouard's strike ricocheted back off an upright.

And the Norwegian was key to the second too, surging down the left before play was switched to Forrest on the opposite flank. The Scotland winger cut on to his left foot and lasered a drive through a ruck of bodies into the net for his 10th goal of the season.

With the ink barely dry on the four-year contract he signed earlier in the day, Forrest was able to celebrate reaching double figures for the third successive season.

Elyounoussi and Edouard both came close to making the win more comfortable as St Mirren tired. And while they slip to bottom spot, Goodwin's side now turn their focus to the pivotal meeting with fellow strugglers Hearts a week on Saturday.
St Mirren stat
Man of the match – James Forrest

BBC Scotland's Liam McLeod at Celtic Park

Forrest long ago proved his worth to Celtic but once again he made a huge difference in a stuffy win.

The Scotland international scored on his debut in Neil Lennon's first spell but even his manager has been pleasantly surprised by his recent prolific strike rate.

Lennon described Forrest as "priceless" after the match and it is a fair point when you consider the improvement in his game, firstly under Brendan Rodgers, and now the man who gave him his first-team chance is reaping the rewards too.
'We needed more oomph' – reaction

Celtic manager Neil Lennon: "I just wanted a bit more energy and attacking threat. We needed more oomph and I certainly got that second half and we could have won by a lot more.

"I wasn't unhappy with the first-half performance but we played into St Mirren's hands by being hesitant with our passing and trying to force things. Second half was tremendous – no panic."

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin: "The first half was satisfying in terms of what we set out to do – be compact, not let Celtic play through us, and try and hit them on the break.

"We asked for a repeat performance and unfortunately we just didn't start the second half in the manner we should have."