ANALYSIS Paisley a long way from Barcelona but signs are Lennon's men will have sustained presence at Europe's top table

THE temptation to use events at St Mirren Park as an indicator of Celtic's chances in the Camp Nou should be resisted. It would be akin to contrasting the experience of a church afternoon social to that of a stag night in downtown Bangkok.

Celtic will experience an element of giddiness, even turbulence, in Barcelona, but the performance in Paisley revealed more about the club's long-term prospects rather than the immediate challenge of playing Messi and Co away.

This was an easy victory for Neil Lennon's side in what was once difficult territory for Celtic. This was the venue that ended Tony Mowbray's tenure but in the past five meetings St Mirren have failed to score against Celtic.

Celtic are now strong, powerful and pacy in certain areas, and irresistible within Scotland on this form. The strength of their squad can be illustrated by pointing out that James Forrest, Scott Brown, Kris Commons, Georgios Samaras, and Anthony Stokes played no part in a win that took Celtic three points clear at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League with a game in hand.

Additionally, Mikael Lustig and Emilio Izaguirre only featured as substitutes. The oft-quoted figure of 35 players travelling on international duty also suggests correctly that Celtic have potential in the youth ranks.

The quality and confidence in the side is now apparent. Celtic allowed St Mirren three excellent chances on Saturday, squandered in turn by Lewis Guy, Kenny McLean and Steven Thompson.

Celtic could also be careless in possession. These lapses were forgiven in the wake of a coruscating performance, but would draw considerable punishment in the Camp Nou. Lennon, though, was right to ponder only the performance in Paisley and reflect on the contributions made by individuals. The five goals came from a mixture of dreadful St Mirren defending and ruthless, sometimes brilliant, finishing.

The Celtic manager publicly disdains the obsession with tactics but his line-ups testify persuasively that he formulates plans for individual matches. On Saturday, he played with a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Gary Hooper playing behind the two strikers, Lassad Nouioui and Tony Watt. The Englishman was threatening throughout, his movement confounding the St Mirren central defence, and his link-up play helping to make Celtic a cohesive unit in attack.

With Joe Ledley, Victor Wanyama and Biram Kayal dominating in midfield, Celtic cruised to victory, building an unassailable lead after half an hour and leading 4-0 at half-time. Celtic kept the pressure up in the second half though they were rewarded with only one goal, a powerful header from Watt, but it illustrated a further beneficial effect from the rout.

The form of Hooper, Wanyama and Fraser Forster, in particular, has been rightly praised, but there are others who are staking a claim for regular inclusion in the side. Efe Ambrose is quick and strong in central defence, though his concentration wavers; Lassad was thoughtful in choosing options in the final third; and Miku, aka Nicolas Fedor, provided hints of his ability when arriving as a substitute.

The fifth goal, though, was a significant moment. Izaguirre, who has endured a stuttering spell after injury, created space and a marvellous cross suggested the wee Honduran may be coming back to his best.

Watt shrugged off a defender and blasted the consequent header past Craig Samson with a brutal certainty. Lennon praised the striker later and it was a performance of great potential. Watt has strength, pace and confidence. The latter can make him a trifle self-centred, a not uncommon trait among strikers.

A blast over the bar in the second half when others were in good position drew " a don't get sloppy" call from his manager on the sideline. A subsequent shot from a difficult angle when a pass was a better option drew a growl from the Celtic support.

Suitably chastened, Watt was subsequently more mature in choosing his option and his header was a reward for an afternoon of hard work and constant threat.

The reality is that Celtic are resigned to "fattening up" talent for the bigger leagues. Hooper, increasingly, looks a centre-forward who could play in any company.

Wanyama is occasionally careless in possession and picked up his almost obligatory booking for committing a foul when tracking back, but is an immense physical specimen and a convincing talent. The crossbar denied him a hat trick but his second goal, a powerful yet beautifully manufactured shot, was an exclamation mark on an afternoon when he testified eloquently to his ability.

There are mutterings about his future, with suggestions that he could leave as early as January. This eventuality may be influenced by events in Champions League matches.

However, if he sustains this level of form, and he is improving rather than regressing, the only question marks over the 21-year-old Kenyan are the date of his departure and the destination.

Any transfers, though, will leave Celtic in profit and finding replacements should not be too difficult. There is strong evidence these exist within the ranks.

Celtic at St Mirren may not have told observers much about likely events in Barcelona but they strongly suggest that participation in the group stages of the Champions League for the foreseeable future is not only an ambition but a reasonable expectation.