Terrace Podcast contributor Craig Cairns casts his eye over the key plays from the weekend's Ladbrokes Premiership action.
Hoops reliant on set-piece success and Griffiths' goals
Leigh Griffiths scored his 30th league goal of the season on Saturday. He temporarily drew level with Adam Rooney as the Ladbrokes Premiership's all-time top scorer – that was until Rooney scored on Monday night.
Celtic welcomed Scott Brown back to the starting line-up, meaning Stefan Johansen was able to take up his role behind the striker in which he excelled last season. Even though he or his side were not firing on all cylinders, it will be encouraging for Ronny Deila that he has his strongest attacking players to chose from for the run-in.
They had Dedryck Boyata to thank for their second goal. The Belgian has now scored six goals this season, displaying Celtic’s reliance on set-pieces. This one came as the Hoops piled on the pressure following a corner.
At the other end, central defence has been an unsettled position at Celtic Park this season. Just four matches ago, Jozo Šimunović looked to be forging a decent partnership with Efe Ambrose but injury to one and suspension to the other means that Boyata is now lining up alongside new recruit Erik Sviatchenko. They managed their second clean sheet in as many matches, which again bodes well for the title chase.
The weekend’s game marked Celtic’s first Premiership clean sheet since January 2 and their 10th this season – one less than Hearts and Aberdeen. This time last season they had three more.
Killie youngsters continue to shine
It’s been a decent spell in temporary charge for Lee McCulloch after a draw at Ibrox and a win away to relegation rivals Motherwell – followed by running Rangers close in the Scottish Cup replay. For all their summer signings, the real positive for Killie this season has been their youngsters.
Greg Kiltie knocked in Steven Smith’s cross before teeing up Craig Slater for his driving run and neat finish at Fir Park. Kiltie started the season as a bit-part player but has been given an extended run in recent months - has four league goals and as many assists. Kiltie has managed a further four assists in the cup competitions, while Slater has scored three times in his last six appearances, taking his tally to four for the season.
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