SPFL Team of the Week

Craig Fowler selects his latest SPFL Team of the Week, with Celtic midfielder Nir Bitton the star man in a 4-5-1 formation:

Goalkeeper – Radoslaw Cierzniak (Dundee United)
Wow, tough week. While there were a number of solid performances, no custodian stood out from all four divisions. In the end, Radoslaw Cierzniak was selected for helping secure a vital win for Dundee United with a couple of crucial saves to prevent Adam Rooney grabbing an Aberdeen equaliser. The victory moved them above St Johnstone and back into fourth place, and they will be looking to cut the gap on Inverness in third when the teams meet tonight.

Right-back – Gary Miller (St Johnstone)
It's been a frustrating season for Miller, who has mainly played second fiddle to Dave Mackay. While he may not bring the experience and leadership that Mackay possesses to the position, it's not an overstatement to call Miller one of the best reserve defenders in Scottish football. He would be a nailed-on starter for most other teams. On Saturday, he used those fresh legs to continuously motor up and down the right in St Johnstone's 1-1 draw with Inverness, contributing to the attack and halting Caley Thistle threats down the wing.

Central defence – Declan Gallagher (Livingston)
An imperious performance from a defender good enough to be playing in the Scottish Premiership, which makes the fact he was potentially one bad game away from playing in the third tier all the more astounding. Luckily for Gallagher, and his Livingston team-mates, the centre-back was completely dominant in their survival-clinching 1-0 win against Queen of the South. The visitors, who had nothing to play for, were arguably the better team for 60 minutes. Despite this, they never managed a clean strike on goal, with Gallagher a big reason for that.

Central defence – John Souttar (Dundee United)
This is a cheat. Souttar is known, primarily, as a centre-back. However, on Saturday he turned in an excellent performance playing in the middle of the park. Unfortunately for this writer, there were a plethora of midfielders who turned in great displays at the weekend, so he has been shoe-horned in alongside Declan Gallagher. Not only do his defensive qualities help solidify United in the midfield area, his ability to stay composed in possession and accurately pass the ball has really helped his team-mates rediscover some confidence in their football philosophy.

Left-back – Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic)
Were it not for his occasional erratic distribution from the wide areas, Izaguirre would be in this team every week. The stamina he possesses to continually get up and down the left flank, providing his team with an invaluable out-ball, appears to be almost limitless. In Celtic's 5-0 demolition of Dundee on Friday night it was notable from the opening exchanges that his crossing was going to be on point, and he duly delivered a perfectly-whipped ball for Leigh Griffiths to open the scoring. That gave him the impetus to continually threaten down the left in what was a long night for the visitors.

Central midfield – Scott Brown (Celtic)
His team-mate Nir Bitton (more on him in a second) deservedly earned plaudits for that Cristiano Ronaldo-esque strike late in the game, but Celtic arguably netted an even more impressive goal earlier in the match. Every single member of the home side, including goalkeeper Craig Gordon, touched the ball in the build-up to Celtic's second - a goal which was completed when Brown expertly controlled a through ball before passing it beyond Scott Bain into the net. Aside from the goal, Brown's midfield masterclass helped Celtic completely dominate the centre of the park as he helped link defence and attack, while also harassing his Dundee counterparts into submission.

Central midfield – Nir Bitton (Celtic)
What. A. Hit. This summary could just be left at that, but it would do a disservice to the Israeli, who had a terrific match even before he belted in that superb effort in the game's closing stages. Bitton is two contrasting styles rolled into one. His soft touch is almost as evident as his commanding physique, and it's that duality which gives him the potential to excel at the very highest level. Against Dundee, he always stayed composed under pressure and helped his midfield partner set the tempo by keeping the ball from the opposition. He is this week's star man.

Right midfield – Jamie McCluskey (Morton)
Morton clinched the League 1 title with a 3-1 victory over Peterhead on the season's final day, with the winger picking a good time to have one of his better performances of the campaign. In attack, he charged at defenders with intent and passed the ball accurately throughout the match, though it was his contribution to the defensive side that was particularly impressive. He always got himself back to help cover the full-back and even managed to execute a crucial, potentially goal-saving tackle on one Peterhead counter-attack that could have changed the outcome.

Attacking midfield – Liam Craig (Hibernian)
How much of an advantage a team earns by finishing second in the Championship is a question that can only be answered over the coming few weeks. Regardless, Hibernian wanted that extra two-game break and they illustrated their desire with a dominant showing against the team that knocked them out of the Scottish Cup last month. Leading by example was club captain Liam Craig. The midfielder must have covered every blade of (artificial) grass and his enthusiasm was soaked up by his team-mates. It's been a bit of a stop-start campaign for Craig, but he seems to be hitting form at the right time and will be looking to help Hibs right the wrongs of last season by returning to the top flight at the first time of asking.

Left midfield – Bobby Linn (Arbroath)
'Tormentor-in-chief' was how one Red Lichties supporter described Linn's performance in the 5-0 win over Berwick Rangers. The winger is a nightmare for opposing full-backs as he offers a terrifying blend of skill and direct running to the attack. He netted the opener after sprinting on to a through ball, then set up Simon Murray to bag the second, effectively killing the game seven minutes later. Arbroath suffered a dreadful beginning to 2015 but they appear to be hitting form again at just the right time and will be a difficult opponent to eliminate from the play-offs.

Forward – Lewis Vaughan (Raith Rovers)
While Nir Bitton's strike was technically superior, it's hard to argue with a half-volley from 45 yards being goal of the week. That distinction belonged to the 19-year old, who had already set-up Rovers' equaliser when Dumbarton keeper Danny Rogers' fluffed clearance landed at his feet. Vaughan prodded the ball up with his first touch before sending a looping drive which soared over Rogers and into the back of the net. In Vaughan, Rovers fans certainly have a reason to be optimistic for the future.