St Johnstone goalkeeper Zander Clark was still showing his frustration yesterday as he labeled his side’s loss to Celtic on Sunday as his “quietest ever game” against the Hoops.
Neil Lennon’s side managed to secure their eighth consecutive win with a 2-0 success in Perth at the weekend. However, even though it looked controlled and professional at face-value, it was the nerviest win of the club’s recent run.
Leigh Griffiths and Patryk Klimala bagged two late goals to ensure the title-advantage remained at Parkhead. Yet it came after St Johnstone ‘keeper Clark barely had a save to make throughout the contest.
And it appears the loss of two late goals is still clearly nagging at the Saints man.
As quoted by the Daily Record, Clark said: “I had probably my quietest ever game against Celtic. It was a real kick in the teeth because everyone had put so much into it. We had defended so well and dealt with everything they had thrown at us. I don’t think I had a big save to make.
“It was frustrating to lose another late goal from a free header. But overall there were plenty of positives to take away from it. It’s not often we have been hurting after a game against Celtic because we’ve taken nothing from it.
“We’ve been on the wrong end of some cricket scores against them. We gave it a good go on Sunday and deserved to take a point.”
This is exactly how Champions leave their opponents feeling
In fairness, no Celtic fan should look at Clark’s comments as any sort of dig at the Hoops here. After all – he’s right. St Johnstone could very well have been in front whilst we created close to nothing throughout the 90 minutes.
What he’s likely trying to big up here is St Johnstone’s defending. After all, they haven’t yet kept a clean sheet this season. Their defence could do with a boost, and Celtic’s two late goals will have been another massive set-back for them.
However, from a Hoops’ perspective, this is exactly how champions should leave their opponents feeling. Frustration with a tinge of anger. It’s a sign of the club being able to swat away domestic challenges when not at their best.
Champions show character when their technical ability isn’t doing the business. Celtic’s trip to Perth was yet another test of that. Similar to the same character we showed at Tannadice against Dundee United when a late Albian Ajeti goal secured three points in August.
Too often this season you could say we haven’t been at our best. Yet with the exception of Kilmarnock and Ferencvaros, we’ve come out on top in every other occasion. That’s a fine trait for potential champions to have.
Clark’s agony over Sunday is a sign that we’re doing things right in the early stages of this monumental title-race.
In other news, the Celtic fans loved the club’s brilliant response to a pundit’s negative transfer remarks.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
