Narrow but deserved win for Bhoys

Celtic 1 Kilmarnock 0

Celtic moved to within one point of Clydesdale Bank Premier League leaders Rangers with a narrow but deserved win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

Killie keeper Alan Combe kept the champions at bay with a string of impressive saves until the 63rd minute when defender Martyn Corrigan deflected a Scott Brown drive in to the net.

The Hoops’ victory, ugly as it was, puts pressure on the Ibrox side who travel to Inverness Caledonian Thistle tomorrow.

Celtic were not at their best but Kilmarnock, looking to win at Parkhead for the first time since 1955, never looked like ending that poor run and indeed it was only keeper Combe who kept them in the game.

Not even the early loss of Andreas Hinkel and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink to injury could inspire the visitors to an historic victory.

Despite their disastrous record at Celtic Park, Killie went in to the game with the knowledge that they were the only side to keep a clean sheet in the east end of Glasgow this season after holding the Hoops to a goalless draw on the opening day.

But the first half was all about Combe who almost single-handedly kept Celtic at bay.

In the 12th minute Scott McDonald cut in from the left and past Corrigan at the edge of the Killie penalty area before unleashing a low right-footed drive which Combe pushed past for a corner.

Moments later Vennegoor of Hesselink and Simon Ford clashed heads, the Celtic striker being substituted by Chris Killen, with Hinkel being replaced by Derek Riordan at the same time.

As Celtic adapted to the reshuffle, Combe came to the rescue of the Ayrshire side again in the 21st minute when, following a whipped-in free-kick from Shunsuke Nakamura, he blocked a hook-shot from McDonald who was less than six yards out.

Killie were defending desperately at times. Frazer Wright’s challenge foiled McDonald at the near post as the Australian international poked Killen’s cross the wrong side of the upright.

Combe had to rush from his goal on the half-hour mark to block Killen’s shot after McDonald had slipped the big Kiwi through on goal, the Killie keeper then tipping Riordan’s chip shot over the bar for yet another corner.

Riordan then tested Combe again with a 20-yard drive which, once more, was pushed over for a corner which came to nothing.

The half-time whistle signalled the end of a one-sided first half but Killie’s goal was still intact.

When play resumed Killie forced a corner within 15 seconds, Ford heading Garry Hay’s cross wide of the target.

However, the match returned to the theme of the first half with Combe parrying another right-footed drive from McDonald in the 50th minute, the Hoops hit-man set up by a wonderful Nakamura reverse pass.

In the 57th minute McDonald was denied a penalty after going to the ground 16 yards out when challenged by Garry Hay and Wright, the little Aussie earning a booking from referee Mike McCurry for his overly-long protest.

But in the 63rd minute the home side eventually got the breakthrough with the help of the hapless Corrigan.

As the visitors defended in numbers, Brown tried his luck with a drive from 25 yards and the ball deflected off the outstretched boot of the former Motherwell defender and past the helpless Combe.

Having lost the goal, Killie tried to be more positive but even then it seemed too little, too late.

Nakamura had a couple of efforts which failed to hit the target, which summed up an unusually ineffective afternoon for the Japan international.

As the final whistle brought an end to some later nervousness in the Celtic defence, the home side could look back on a difficult afternoon but happy with the three points that keeps them firmly in the title race.