NOT even the unexpected return of Dedryck Boyata could halt Celtic’s inexorable march towards a sixth consecutive Ladbrokes Premiership title under Brendan Rodgers.

Having gone nearly a fortnight with playing competitively due to the international break, this game against Kilmarnock on the artificial surface at Rugby Park on a bitterly cold Friday night in November was a potentially awkward one.

The surprise appearance of Boyata for the first time this season will, given the Belgian defender’s propensity for making costly errors, have done little to calm any pre-match nerves which the members of the travelling support may have been experiencing.

Yet, the former Manchester City man, like all of his team mates, performed well despite his lack of game time and made a couple of important clearances off his line as Celtic ground out a narrow 1-0 win which sent them 13 points clear at the head of the table.

That lead may be reduced to 10 if their nearest rivals Aberdeen defeat Inverness Caledonian Thistle away this afternoon, but this was further evidence, as if any was required, of the formidable strength in depth of the leaders.

With Kieran Tierney out injured and Emilio Izaguirre having only arrived back from international duty with Honduras on Thursday, Rodgers was fully expected to reshuffle his back line. But nobody could have anticipated just how experimental his rearguard would be.

Rodgers had spoken at the Celtic AGM on Thursday of the difficulty of offloading the players who he had deemed to be surplus to requirements when he arrived during the summer. Those of a cynical nature would suggest that bringing Boyata in from the cold in for a game which was screened live on BT Sport was designed to remind clubs of his existence and availability.

Rodgers switched to the 3-4-2-1 formation which he had flirted with during his time at Liverpool. Mikael Lustig, Boyata and Erik Sviatchenko made up the defence.

Celtic had gone five league games without conceding a goal going into this match. The last time they had let in a goal, in fact, was in their previous meeting with Kilmarnock back in September.

Souleymane Coulibaly had, with a little help from opposition goalkeeper Dorus de Vries, scored a sensational long-range effort on that occasion. The home team needed to produce, even with Boyata making his return, something special to net.

Many reasons have been put forward for Scotland losing 3-0 to England in their Russia 2018 qualifier at Wembley last week. One not particularly scientific theory was that the national team once again had to wear their shocking pink away strip.

Wearing a similarly garish outfit, however, had no noticeable detrimental effect on the play of Celtic. They quickly took control and would have forged into an early lead had it not been for a little rustiness in their finishing.

Stuart Armstrong, playing in the centre of midfield, split open the Kilmarnock defence with a delightful reverse pass in the sixth minute. James Forrest cut the ball back to Moussa Dembele who shot wide.

Scott Sinclair also missed his intended target with an attempt from outside the area, Sviatchenko headed narrowly past the post at a Sinclair corner and Forrest was denied by an outstanding save from Jamie MacDonald.

The 3-0 defeat they suffered against Rangers at Ibrox at the end of last month aside, Kilmarnock have shown better form of late. They had lost just one of their previous five outings going into this match.

Lee Clark, though, had to make three changes to the team which had drawn 0-0 with Hamilton a fortnight earlier. Most importantly, there was no Kris Boyd, who is out injured for the rest of the season.

Flo Bojaj, the 20-year-old Serbian who arrived in Ayrshire in the summer, started up front in what was his first appearance since the Betfred Cup defeat to Albion Rovers back in July. It was hardly, then, a like for like replacement.

But fair play to Kilmarnock. They kept their shape well, competed tenaciously and came back strongly and could have netted themselves. Sviatchenko did well to head a Greg Taylor cross off his goal line and Bojaj went close after some good work by the wide man.

The home team conceded at the worst possible moment just a minute before half-time after Forrest and Dembele combined to set up Armstrong who had time and space to steady himself, pick his spot and beat the cruelly exposed MacDonald.

Rodgers’s side should have built on their lead in the first minute of the second half when Callum McGregor broke clean through on goal. But the midfielder was prevented from adding to Celtic’s tally by the left leg of the keeper.

At least, though, McGregor was on target. He was castigated by his own club’s support for squandering an opportunity in an almost identical position in the Champions League group game against Borussia Moenchengladbach in Germany at the start of this month. He is making slight progress.

Kilmarnock supporters were irked by the match official’s failure to caution Scott Brown and Boyata for bad challenges. But they could be proud of how their team performed. They fought to the end for an equaliser and can, despite the result, take confidence from their showing going forward.

Kilmarnock: MacDonald, Smith, Boyle, McKenzie, Dicker (McFadzean, 89), Jones (Coulibaly, 78), Bojaj (Tyson, 58), Boyd, Frizzell, Taylor, Hendrie. Substitutes not used: Mackay, Smith, Adams, Wilson.

Celtic: Gordon, Brown, Dembele, Sinclair, Armstrong, Boyata, Lustig, Roberts (Rogic, 66), Sviatchenko, McGregor, Forrest (Bitton, 85). Substitutes not used: De Vries, Izaguirre, Gamboa Toure, Bitton, Christie.

Referee: Don Robertson.

Attendance: 10,962.