IF he had been watching, this would surely have driven Rod Stewart to tears once more.

Just not in a good way this time. Four days after the ultimate high of beating Barcelona at home that had the craggy-faced rocker weeping with joy, this draw with St Johnstone was a painful, uncomfortable comedown for Celtic.

It is becoming something of an unfortunate habit. Six times they have dropped points in the league this season and on every occasion it has happened in the same week as a European tie. Aberdeen and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who Celtic face either side of their next Champions League group match against Benfica, must already be licking their lips at the prospect of similarly taking advantage.

Celtic would surely not swop that win over Barcelona for anything, but these domestic setbacks must be getting increasingly frustrating for manager Neil Lennon. Winning only half of their opening dozen games, and none of their last three, in the defence of the championship was surely not part of the plan. Celtic find themselves back in second place in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, trailing Hibernian by two points albeit having played a game fewer.

Tony Watt, summoned from the bench at half-time to try to inject some life into a flagging Celtic side, looked like he would be the hero once more after giving his side the lead early in the second half but it did not inspire his team-mates to greater things. Instead it was St Johnstone who showed greater resolve, finding an equaliser through Nigel Hasselbaink and threatening to cause the second upset seen at Celtic Park in the space of a week. Having been thrashed 5-0 here less than a fortnight ago in the Scottish Communities League Cup, this was redemption of sorts for the Perth side for whom manager Steve Lomas was sent to the stand shortly before his side chiselled out that equaliser.

This always looked like an awkward hurdle for Celtic to have to overcome and so it proved. After all, how do you top beating Barcelona in the Champions League? It was like asking a mountaineer who has just scaled Everest what he plans on doing for an encore.

The whole occasion, then, was flat. This was like Boxing Day after a particularly good Christmas, the first day back at work after two weeks in the sun. Celtic, with just one change from the side that had beaten Barcelona, tried their best to make something happen but, Watt's goal aside, enjoyed little success. Energy levels, both on and off the park, were clearly running low after the exertions of midweek and the subsequent celebrations.

The increased probability of a place in the last 16 of the Champions League has made Celtic's domestic chores even less appealing. In a season where, without Rangers, they can feasibly drop points every few weeks and still, almost certainly, canter to the title, it is understandable that league encounters no longer hold the same appeal. That was evident both in the empty seats throughout the stadium, and the low-key performances from most of Celtic's players.

On Wednesday night, Victor Wanyama was heading his team in front against Barcelona. Here he was completely misjudging a Kris Commons' cross and allowing the ball to bounce off his head, or possibly shoulder, and roll tamely across goal. It made for a fairly humdrum contest. St Johnstone were compact and disciplined, and followed their gameplan to the letter.

They lost one defender, David McCracken, to an early injury, and could have lost another when Frazer Wright started coughing up blood. Wright, though, epitomised the spirit prevalent in his side by gamely playing on.

Celtic lacked the invention to break them down and it was again left to Watt to try to offer greater dynamism in attack. Summoned from the bench at half-time to replace the ineffective Miku, he took just six minutes to score. The goal was nowhere near as significant or as flashy as the strike against Barcelona but it was warmly welcomed by the Celtic fans just the same. Mulgrew's deep cross found its way to the back post where the loitering teenager poked it past Alan Mannus from close range.

That could have killed off St Johnstone but the setback instead seemed to fire them up and they began to enjoy some sustained pressure for the first time in the game. They were hardly peppering the Celtic goal but there were certainly chances; Fraser Forster made an exceptional save to deny Wright, while Gregory Tade seemed to have a decent claim for a penalty after being felled by Efe Ambrose. Referee Iain Brines instead gave a corner.

A St Johnstone goal, that had seemed entirely unlikely in the first hour or so, now looked almost inevitable and it arrived after 77 minutes. Hasselbaink, that most frustratingly inconsistent of strikers, was the recipient of a Dave Mackay cross that wasn't cleared and he spun adroitly before finishing past Forster.

Celtic Park groaned. Fans are having to get used to a few of these frustrating afternoons.