1995-03-10: Celtic 1-0 Kilmarnock. Scottish Cup

BYLINE:By Hugh Keevins

THE speed with whichCelticmoved into tomorrow's Scottish Cup semi-final draw ahead of six other potential candidates was contradicted by the inordinate length of time it took to play their game withKilmarnockafter a floodlight failure at Hampden last night.After six years without a trophy, though, what difference does a freakish break make to the disadvantaged when they are 90 minutes from a final appearance?
John Collins's 11th goal of the season, continuing that player's propensity for delivering the goods on the big occasion, finally separated two disappointing sides.
The importance of the result was not lost onCeltic'smanager, Tommy Burns. "I'm absolutely delighted," he said.

"It was a big effort from all the players and the fans put together."It was a fantastic result.
Every one of my players ran himself into the ground tonight."
Kilmarnock, who had gone into the game more than quietly confident about their prospects of continuing a season of periodic upsets in cup football, were the biggest let-down of all.
There was, until it was too late, little of the spirited play which had characterised their approach to Hampden, where they had lost only once in nine league and cup matches.
Celticknew only one moment of brilliance – the pass from Paul McStay which gave them a penalty kick, converted by Collins, after Brian McLaughlin had been tripped. The home side clung on to their lead for rest of the game with the assistance of the outstanding Tony Mowbray in central defence.
Mowbray's resilience is obviously greater than that of Hampden's floodlights. Frenzy turned to farce when a game which had provided little in the way of illumination on the park was brought to a shadowy halt after 34 minutes.
The fault, known as intermittent tripping, afflicted the national stadium and the teams were taken from the field while an emergency generator was put into operation.
Persistent rain was blamed whenCeltic'sleague game against Hibs on 11 February was interrupted by an identical failure, but Queen's Park, Hampden's owners, said in a statement that last night's problem was the result of a generator being "tampered with".
The electrical fault was rectified within 23 minutes and the sides re-emerged.
Before then, Tommy Burns's systematically ruthless treatment of his midfield had been perfectly clear as Peter Grant was omitted to accommodate the return of Collins.
Grant's absence was not particularly noticeable in good light or bad, however, in a game that was tense enough to be bereft of anything resembling composure on the ball.
There was an almost total lack of incident in either goalmouth while the fever of the tie took its grip on both sides. The tedium was broken only after 28 minutes when Willie Falconer headed past Dragoje Lekovic's left-hand post.
The quality of play was no different from that in the sorrowful spectacle which wasCeltic'sleague match against Aberdeen at the same venue last Sunday.
The banal blur knew only moments of light relief. A speculative cross fromKilmarnock'sGus MacPherson was turned into something more interesting when Pat Bonner slipped in his goalmouth. Luckily for the Irishman, the cross went past the post.
The game's restart after the interruption finally brought a shaft of inspiration, five minutes before the interval. An incisive pass through the middle ofKilmarnock'sdefence to McLaughlin saw the diminutive winger brought down by Tom Black and Collins celebrated his recall to the side with a confidently- placed penalty kick beyond Lekovic at the base of his right- hand post.
The realisation of what he had done to giveCelticthe lead affected Black's judgment for a time thereafter and he was not the only one to temporarily lose the place.
Celtic'sBrian O'Neil had been booked in the first half for a foul on John Henry, and MacPherson and Robert Connor ofKilmarnockwere lucky to escape similar punishment later in the game.
Kilmarnock'sdispirited air seemed to be a result of frustration with their ineffectual display as Bonner's goal remained untroubled andCelticgrew in confidence.
A shot from Black, which came close to worrying Bonner, set the agenda for a hectic finish to the tie.