ANALYSIS Celtic put their Euro nightmare behind them as they get league campaign back on track

A CHILL wind blew at St Mirren Park yesterday but the heat on Neil Lennon and his Celtic side was reduced by a victory that was attained with a degree of comfort.

Two early goals by Gary Hooper consigned crisis talk until at least after the international break and three points gives a comforting warmth to a club that had not won in its last three matches.

In a match replete with chances for both sides -- how could it have been otherwise given the presence of Daniel Majstorovic and Marc McAusland in the respective back lines of Celtic and St Mirren -- the visitors prevailed by striking hard and early.

Any lingering altitude sickness from the defeat in the alps of Switzerland was dispelled by Hooper’s strikes in the sixth and 12 minutes.

His first reminded everyone of his propensity to work slickly in tandem with Anthony Stokes. A neat interchange between the two at the edge of St Mirren’s penalty box allowed the Englishman to finish surely past Craig Samson.

The second followed Hooper’s interception of a square pass by former Celtic midfielder Paul McGowan 30 yards from goal. The striker advanced quickly and scored with ease.

There should have been more goals in what was an entertaining match, not least because Stokes’ effort in the opening five minutes was ruled out because of a non-existent foul. This was a mistake by the officials but the absence of further goals was a direct result of excellent play from both goalkeepers.

Fraser Forster has had a testing return to the Celtic side but he was impeccable yesterday. He made three saves that ensured Celtic were never forced into crisis.

His clutch of a second-half header from Steven Thompson was comfortable but he can be applauded for his anticipation and strong hand that denied McGowan in the first half and for his diving stop from a Jereon Tessalaar free-kick.

St Mirren, then, had chances and their passing game was always attractive, occasionally dangerous. The pace of Nigel Hasslebaink disturbed the Celtic defence, particularly Majstorovic. The Swedish defender had an intermittently torrid afternoon with his confusion exemplified by a short pass to his defensive partner Kelvin Wilson who was lying on the ground at the time.

For all St Mirren’s laudable attempts to play football it was the visitors who created the best chances and plenty of them. Stokes, for example, could have scored within the first minute when released by Hooper but he put the ball wide.

Samson also looked inspired in the second half. Ki Sung-Yueng, Stokes and James Forrest, twice, were denied by the St Mirren goalkeeper who kept his side in with a chance.

There was the theory that his heroics could have been significant if Danny Lennon’s side could have pulled a goal back. However, a mixture of carelessness with the final ball and steady goalkeeping from Forster ensured that Lennon, Neil of that ilk, could watch the clock running down without any great anxiety.

The Celtic manager would have been further comforted by the outcome of his team selection. He changed his side from the defeat in Sion, with Stokes replacing Georgios Samaras and Forrest taking the place of Joe Ledley. Both decisions were franked by events on the park.

The Irishman was bright and energetic throughout and worked well in tandem with Hooper. Forrest was quick and direct on either wing and could have scored twice when he was switched to the right during the second half.

The key to a better Celtic performance was the rise in confidence after scoring smartly and early. Ki and Biram Kayal were more like their normally impressive selves after their failure in the Europa League and Scott Brown was vibrant and combative on the right flank.

With Forrest offering pace and directness, the Celtic midfield was given an edge that should have resulted in a more comfortable scoreline as the match progressed.

These performances in the central area of the park were crucial because the centre of the Celtic defence is about as convincing as a schoolboy’s excuse for not doing his homework.

Celtic, too, faced a brave St Mirren midfield who were never afraid to try and keep possession. Jim Goodwin plays as a sort of quarter-back while Steven Thomson, McGowan and Gary Teale mix pace and guile.

With Hasslebaink a constant irritant and Thompson capable of causing alarm, particularly in the air, there was ample scope for Celtic to suffer a great deal of anxiety yesterday afternoon.

The Paisley side, however, were undone by hesitation in defence where McAusland had a poor afternoon, and a tendency to pass the ball in areas that invite trouble if the first touch is not assured.

The ambition to get the ball down and play a passing game is praiseworthy, but it also deserves criticism when it precipitates defeat.

The criticism, of course, has been directed strongly at Celtic recently and yesterday they answered it with a conviction of spirit, a ruthlessness in finishing on two vital occasions and with the irrefutable argument of three points.

The return from the international break will bring further tests for Celtic, perhaps even a challenge in the Europa League where Sion’s jaicket rests on le nail shooglie. There are suddenly sunny aspects for Lennon after a cold day in Paisley.

Scorer: Hooper (6, 12)