Kilmarnock 3 - 3 Celtic: Great escape could well be a turning point

FROM appearing to have reached tipping point in his managerial tenure at Celtic, Neil Lennon will hope that he in fact may have cause to reflect positively on Saturday as a turning point in this season’s pursuit of the championship.

Having had mixed emotions when the full-time whistle sounded at Rugby Park, his pride in his team’s second-half fightback countered by his fury at the ineptitude of the defending which helped Kilmarnock take a stunning 3-0 interval lead, Lennon’s feelings could only have been blurred further by Rangers’ failure later in the afternoon to take maximum advantage of their rivals’ latest slip.

At one stage of a remarkable day, Celtic looked likely to fall 13 points behind the reigning champions.

Their own recovery to salvage a point in Ayrshire, coupled with St Mirren’s dramatic stoppage-time equaliser at Ibrox, instead saw no further ground lost by Lennon’s men.

They remain in a position which is wholly unacceptable, both in the eyes of the club’s board and supporters, sitting in third place in the SPL table ten points adrift of leaders Rangers. They are three points behind Motherwell and now just a point ahead of both Hearts and St Johnstone who occupy the places immediately below them. Even with a game in hand, Celtic are in dangerous territory as far as Lennon is concerned.

With typical and admirable honesty, Lennon admitted afterwards that concerns over his own position had crossed his mind when his team went 3-0 behind. It was a half-time team talk which may just have prevented his departure.

James Forrest was one of the few Celtic players to emerge in credit from the 90 minutes, the 20-year-old Scotland winger singled out for lavish praise by Lennon for the kind of committed and influential contribution which his more senior team-mates currently seem incapable of producing.

Forrest confirmed the fear in the Celtic dressing room during the interval that they were on the verge of a result which could cost Lennon his job.

“The manager hinted at that at half-time,” said Forrest. “He was so angry, he didn’t really know what to say to us. He said to try and do it for the management as well as ourselves. We were letting everyone down, we were letting the club down.

“We knew it was unacceptable. I’ve heard him shout more than he did during half-time. But we all knew that 3-0 down against anyone at that stage is unacceptable for a club like Celtic. We all felt we could do better and we showed what kind of a team we are in the second half.

“It would be unfair if he was the one to pay for what is happening on the pitch. It’s down to the players, we all know that. I worked under him for the reserve team and he has given me my chance in the first team. But all of the players will say the same, he’s a good manager to work under. Talk of him losing the dressing room is definitely nonsense. The players are right behind the manager and hopefully we can start getting the results which show that.”

Lennon’s biggest problem remains the brittleness of his defence. Yet another back four combination was rolled out on Saturday, this time with Cha Du Ri at right back and Adam Matthews at left back either side of central pairing Daniel Majstorovic and Charlie Mulgrew. Yet again, Celtic defended with all the solidity of quicksand.

Marking was non-existent for Kilmarnock’s 26th minute opener, the excellent Dean Shiels sweeping home Paul Heffernan’s cutback. Celtic were carved open again when Heffernan made it 2-0, albeit with more than a hint of offside as he tapped in Shiels’ low cross. Kilmarnock’s third goal, on the stroke of half-time, was simply a calamity for captain Mulgrew, whose short passback let James Fowler in for a clever lobbed finish over Fraser Forster.

For all of Celtic’s frailties, it would be remiss not to praise Kilmarnock’s football in the first half. Kenny Shiels’ side were neat and imaginative in possession, their movement and fluency far superior to the visitors.

Israeli midfielder Beram Kayal delivered another wretched display which will only heighten speculation over his level of contentment at Celtic this season. He was replaced by Victor Wanyama at half-time, while the injured Gary Hooper made way for Mohamed Bangura.

Celtic’s response was anything but instant, Kilmarnock looking secure with their lead until they were hit with a burst of three goals in seven minutes from the visitors which turned the match on its head.

Anthony Stokes, guilty of a shocking close-range miss when the match was still goalless, sparked the fightback with a well-struck 73rd minute free-kick, then dragged Celtic firmly back into contention with a fine 22-yard drive three minutes later. Kilmarnock were clearly spooked by the turn of events and it was no surprise when Celtic levelled in the 79th minute, Mulgrew atoning for his earlier mistake when he headed home from close range after Ki Sung Yueng’s free-kick was nodded back across goal by Majstorovic.

It was Kilmarnock who came closest to grabbing a late winner, however, Heffernan letting Celtic off the hook when he contrived to head over from inside the six-yard box with the visitors’ defence once more in disarray.

“To lose a 3-0 lead is obviously disappointing,” reflected the game’s outstanding performer Dean Shiels. “But overall we have to be happy with our performance. We deserved to be 3-0 ahead. We didn’t sit deep, as a lot of team do against the Old Firm.

“We came out and tried to pass the ball. I don’t want to judge Celtic. I’m not in a position to, but when you are involved in the game you can sense a bit of weakness in the opponent. We certainly felt that today and capitalised on it in the first half.”