Hamilton Acad 1 - 2 Celtic: They find a way. Four words that encapsulate the combination of inspiration and determination with which this Celtic side manage to gouge out the most unlikely of victories.

They find a way. Four words that encapsulate the combination of inspiration and determination with which this Celtic side manage to gouge out the most unlikely of victories.

This was the 16th time under Gordon Strachan that Celtic have won a game in the last five minutes. It is no fluke. They are relentless, clinical and totally ruthless.

For Hamilton, this would have felt impossibly cruel. The home side could have done little more. They opened the scoring in thrilling fashion, lost a debatable penalty, had a man sent off and managed to hold on with 10 men until four minutes from the end. Despite all their efforts, they were left with nothing.

Paul Hartley was Celtic's saviour, lashing home a ferocious drive from the edge of the box in the 86th minute when all hope seemed lost. In doing so, the midfielder who started his career at Hamilton, helped preserve his side's four-point advantage over Rangers at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

Hamilton will point to their misfortune at conceding the spot kick towards the end of the first half. Television replays showed that Martin Canning's foul on Cillian Sheridan had occurred outside of the area. It was a tough break but Celtic, typically, took full advantage, with Shunsuke Nakamura converting from the spot.

Billy Reid's side emerged with enormous credit from their first home encounter against the Premier League champions. James McCarthy, the prodigious 18-year-old, looked undaunted by the occasion but it was his midfield partner, James McArthur, who shone brightest.

The Scotland under-21 internationalist, making his 130th first-team appearance yesterday, was a tigerish, inventive presence in the middle of the park and stood up well to the physical challenge presented by Hartley and Scott Brown. His battle with Brown, in particular, was one of the more fascinating sub-plots of a compelling match.

Richard Offiong also showed that he is gradually acclimatising to the challenges of top-flight football. The English striker has only netted once this season, against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, but opened the scoring with a superb header and offered his team an excellent outlet in the lone striker's role.

Scott McDonald was a surprise omission from the Celtic line-up, the Australian striker having picked up a virus which will also rule him out of his country's World Cup qualifier against Bahrain in midweek. Strachan resisted the temptation to bring Georgios Samaras back into the starting line-up, with Shaun Maloney chosen to play off Sheridan in attack.

Brown and Nakamura were charged with creating from the right and left midfield areas and there was another start for Massimo Donati alongside Hartley. Containment initially appeared to be uppermost in Reid's mind, with his team lining up in a 3-6-1 formation, but they displayed plenty of adventure in the opening stages.

Offiong signalled Hamilton's intent after eight minutes with a shot that fizzed over the bar, shortly after Sheridan had tested Tomas Cerny at the other end. Celtic enjoyed better possession in the early stages, but it was the home side who showed a more clinical edge when they took the lead on the quarter-hour mark. Trent McClenahan picked the ball up on the right side and showed an impressive presence of mind to swing an early cross into the area.

Gary Caldwell, who did not anticipate the early cross and looked very hesitant throughout, allowed Offiong to steal a yard on him. The striker dived full length to power a header beyond the helpless Mark Brown for his second goal of the season.

Hamilton could have doubled their lead just after the half hour, with Celtic's inability to defend set pieces leaving them exposed. Brian Easton's corner from the right found the head of Offiong, whose glancing header was deflected over the bar by Brown's glove, though how much the Celtic goalkeeper knew about the block was debatable.

Typically, Celtic started to exert more pressure as half-time approached and Andreas Hinkel and Sheridan both went close. Seven minutes before the break, Hamilton handed them a route back into the game. As Sheridan galloped on to a through-ball, Canning brought him down. The initial contact occurred outside of the box, with the Irishman's momentum carrying him well into the penalty area.

Steve Conroy, the referee, was about to give a free-kick but, after consulting with his assistant, Chris Young, he pointed to the spot and sent off Canning.

Celtic have struggled from 12 yards recently, with Barry Robson, Hartley and Maloney all having spurned opportunities from the spot. This time, however, Nakamura stepped up to dispatch a low drive into the bottom-left corner.

There was another moment of controversy before half-time when Offiong scampered clear and Caldwell slid in to halt his progress, but the ball seemed to strike the defender's hand.

Mark Wilson was on the receiving end of the hairdryer treatment from his manager towards the end of the first half and it was little surprise that he was replaced by Robson at half-time. The introduction of Samaras midway through the half gave them a greater focal point in attack and the Greek striker had the first genuine effort of the second half in the 70th minute.

They created an even better chance four minutes later when Brown latched on to a Maloney knockdown inside the area. The midfielder engineered a yard of space, but his driven shot was well blocked by a combination of Cerny and Simon Mensing.

Hamilton had their goalkeeper to thank once again five minutes from the end when he palmed away Samaras' glancing header. A minute later, though, Hartley found a way through. Celtic usually do.