Celtic secured a 1-0 victory over St Mirren at Parkhead, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scoring in the 15th minute. The win keeps pressure on league leaders Hearts and temporarily places Celtic ahead of Rangers, who face Falkirk next.
Green Brigade’s Triumphant Return
The Green Brigade ultras group returned to Celtic Park after a five-month absence, originally stemming from a six-game ban in early November that extended into December. Fans filled the stands, creating an electric atmosphere during the narrow triumph.
O’Neill Assesses Team Performance
Manager Martin O’Neill noted the team’s struggles. “I thought we didn’t play very well,” he stated. “The energy levels looked low. It set in pretty early in the second half, which is a bit of a concern. We’ll try to rectify that next week. Just winning is really important, but we didn’t play well.”
O’Neill praised the supporters’ role. “The crowd were great to us because they could easily have got irritated with some of the things we did. We were loose in possession at times. They kept us going,” he said, drawing parallels to their impact in the previous match against Dundee. “It felt like a real Celtic Park atmosphere.”
Key Player Updates
Despite netting the decisive goal, January signing Oxlade-Chamberlain requires more match fitness. “He’s won the two games, which may be important at the end,” O’Neill commented. “You can see he’s got a bit of class about him. This lad played for England when they had a lot of good players. It’s just a case of fitness with him.”
The manager added, “He’s getting fitter, which is great. I just thought he looked really tired.”
Midfielder Callum pushed through a midweek knock to feature. “Callum had a bit of a problem during the week, he wanted to play,” O’Neill said. “I’m delighted that he did. He really didn’t feel any worse than before. We need him.”
Belgian midfielder Arne Engels made his first appearance in two months as a second-half substitute after his £11 million transfer. Interest from Nottingham Forest preceded the window’s close. “Arne did really well, gave us a bit of stability,” O’Neill observed. “He wasn’t making lung-bursting runs but was getting himself into it. He is a strong lad.”
