KENNY Black is scheduled to be interviewed for the Motherwell job on Tuesday, but he can hardly expect a sterner examination than the one he faced here.

The Fir Park side will confirm their next permanent manager before their home match with fellow basement dwellers Ross County next Saturday, but if this is to be the caretaker manager's last match in charge there was no shame in losing to a solitary Anthony Stokes goal, despite playing the last 30 minutes with 10 men after the dismissal of Simon Ramsden.

The home side, watched by the imposing figure of Rob Maskaant, the well-travelled Dutchman who is the latest surprise name on the six-man shortlist being interviewed for the post, could even have snatched the unlikeliest of points. Substitute Lee Erwin spurned two presentable late chances, the best from a Lionel Ainsworth cross, but such an outcome would have been a travesty considering Celtic might have been four goals up in 20 minutes. Ronny Deila revisited his by-now customary fist pump at the visiting fans after the match, exactly where 20 minutes earlier a shame-faced John Guidetti had held his hands up in apology after spurning a multitude of chances.

Maskaant, who spent a season here as a player during the early 90s, has emerged as a serious contender for the vacancy. The former Willem II and Wisla Krakow manager, most recently assistant at MLS outfit Columbus Crew, and one other mystery foreigner were interviewed yesterday, with four more - including Black - to come in the next few days. Other names on the list which have become public are Terry Butcher and Kenny Shiels.

General manager Alan Burrows said: "Even if the four we have still to speak to don't interview too well the two yesterday were so good that we have a manager there somewhere."

For Black, this was a good crash course in what can be expected as permanent Motherwell manager against one of the big guns of the Scottish game. His reshaped defence, missing Steven Hammell and soon to be minus the injured Fraser Kerr, were carved open at will early on, Guidetti missing the first of countless chances within seconds when he rolled the ball past Dan Twardzik from a Scott Brown pass.

Within six minutes, a ludicrously self-inflicted goal had been conceded. Kerr's backpass was left by Ramsden, despite the lurking presence of Stefan Johansen, who rounded Twardzik and laid it on a plate for Anthony Stokes.

"The backpass should have been more accurate, then maybe Simon should deal with it and I should tell him somebody is on his back," said Twardzik. "So it was a few things after each other."

James Forrest was next to miss the target before Johansen stung the palms of Twardzik following another smart four-man move.

Guidetti had the ball in the net with an overhead kick, even though play had stopped for an erroneous offside, before the home side finally tested Craig Gordon with an Iain Vigurs shot. Ramsdens is the name of a pawnbroking firm and there were jokes about Simon of that ilk selling the jerseys when he upended the onrushing Forrest with the crudest of lunges just outside the box to earn an early dismissal.

Forrest and Emilio Izaguirre both went close, while Guidetti's personal nightmare in front of goal continued, before suddenly it was Erwin who was experiencing the same misfortune at the other end.

The 20-year-old was only on the pitch for 11 minutes, but that was still time enough for him to waste a good headed opportunity, earn a booking for diving, then curl wide with pretty much the last kick of the ball.

"After the opening goal I thought it was going to be a long afternoon against a team of the calibre of Celtic," said Black. "I was pleased with the spirit and determination of the players to hang in there with 10 men."

Not surprisingly, Deila watched the final minutes through the cracks in his fingers. He said: "I was worried towards the end, but more irritated that it was possible we could end up drawing. It was stupid, we should have been winning 3-0 or 4-0 in the first half and gone on to win by six or seven.