David Mccarthy At Celtic Park

Clydesdale Bank Premier League Spl Moment Of Boruc Magic Is A Saver For Celts

CELTIC 1

HEARTS 1

CELTIC are still four points in front but the cracks are showing.

And unless Gordon Strachan applies the plaster in next month's transfer window their championship challenge might just come tumbling down.

Truth is, the Parkhead club have been picking up wins without hitting anything like top form but the last two league games have seen them get what they deserve - one from six. Much more of that won't see their lead over Rangers last long.

They didn't drop two points at home to Hearts on Saturday - they gained one and did so through sheer effort and refusal to accept defeat on another day when their technique, passing and movement deserted them.

It has happened too often of late and no amount of bombast from Strachan can cover it up.

Last week he claimed Celtic played well in losing to Hibs but at least on Saturday he was honest enough to admit his side's shortcomings - and there were plenty.

Make no mistake, this was a match they could have lost and but for Artur Boruc would have done.

The big keeper has been pilloried and lampooned for his howler against Hibs at Easter Road but on Saturday he showed exactly why his manager has kept faith in him.

Yes, he flapped at a couple of corners and is certainly not hitting the heights of which heis capable.

But this man makes big saves and in the 35th minute he produced one which kept Celtic's hopes alive against a Hearts team that acted as if they owned the place in the first half.

Csaba Laszlo's men were already a goal to the good through Andy Driver when the same player latched on to a sclaffed Gary Caldwell header - his decision to go for a ball that would have been cleared by Andreas Hinkel was typical of Celtic's uncertainty in the first period - leaving the lively young Englishman free to home in on the Pole.

Driver drilled his shot firmly and accurately towards the keeper's left hand corner but Boruc threw himself to make a stunning one-handed save.

It was critical in the context of the match because Celtic were so poor at that stage they would have been unlikely to recover a two-goal deficit even with 55 minutes left in which to do it.

As it was, they had enough about them to salvage a point and for their doggedness and determination they deserved it.

Stephen McManus' close range header after a knockdown from Georgios Samaras cancelled out Driver's 22nd minute opener and with 12 minutes left there was still time for the traditional late Celtic winner.

It didn't materialise and had it done it would have been harsh in the extreme on the Jambos.

The Edinburgh side made the trip to Glasgow on the back of five straight wins and oozed confidence from the off.

Laszlo might ramble on a bit but his sometimes bumbling demeanour masks a shrewd tactical brain.

He was also smart enough to hook Laryea Kingston a minute after he could have been sent off for a lunge at Aiden McGeady seconds after being booked for a foul on Scott Brown.

Laszlo employed Christos Karapidis and Ruben Palazuelos as a twin shield in front of his back four and the pair smothered Celtic's midfield probing and became the launchpad for a number of counter attacks that stretched the home team to the limit.

They kept it simple, shunting the ball out to Kingston who repeatedly sprung Driver with raking diagonal passes that had Hinkel working overtime.

The pair combined to open the scoring with the Ghanaian cutting inside to hit a shot that wasn't pretty but found Driver lurking on the left edge of the box.

He was left in perfect isolation as Hinkel had been sucked inside but he still had plenty to do with the considerable frame of Boruc blocking his path.

The keeper went down a shade early, which helped, but Driver showed fantastic composure to score with a low shot into Boruc's left hand corner.

Strachan had begun with the little and littler strike force of Scott McDonald and Shaun Maloney, with the off-form Samaras on the bench, but the starting pair didn't click and Maloney's pulled hamstring within half an hour compounded the player's misery.

That brought the Greek striker into the fray but he showed little until getting on the end of Shunsuke Nakamura's cross in the 78th minute to lay on the leveller for McManus.

Nakamura had been nullified for much of the match by stand-in left back Eggert Jonsson, who had a smashing game.

Then again, most of the men in maroon did.

Christophe Berra and Marius Zaliukas were solid throughout while Bruno Aguiar provided the composure, playing just off Christian Nade who gave McManus and Caldwell real problems.

With just a little more belief Hearts might well have held on for all three points but as the second half wore on they sat further back, inviting Celtic on to them and although there was little quality from the home team there was a build-up of pressure that eventually caused the visitors to buckle.

Celtic could have pinched it in the closing stages with McDonald going close but it was one of the rare moments that the Aussie looked dangerous on the day.

Nor was he alone. Brown's passing was off while Caldwell - who is normally capable of good distribution from the back

-had trouble picking out a hooped shirt all afternoon.

But despite that, Celtic got the point that matched the one earned by Rangers in Dundee a couple of hours earlier and come the end of the season it might prove vital.

Hearts, though, will believe they can kick on from this. That's four points out of six from the Old Firm in their last 180 minutes and the fight with Dundee United for third place will make Saturday's clash between the pair match of the day.

That they are playing so well in the midst of the uncertainty surrounding the future of many of the team - and their wages from one week to the next - is quite astonishing.

Laszlo deserves great credit for welding a superb team spirit amid the turmoil but that's one aspect of Celtic's play that is never in doubt.

They might not be hitting the heights but they'll run until they drop for each other and that was enough to earn them a point that would have eluded most teams playing so poorly.

At least Strachan didn't try to hide that fact. Not this week.

MAN OF THE MATCH Andy Driver (Hearts)

MATCH STATS

POSSESSION %

52 48

SHOTS ON TARGET

3 4

SHOTS OFF TARGET

7 5

CORNERS

6 3

FOULS CONCEDED

13 15

OFFSIDES

1 1

Artur Boruc: Exposed at goal but fabulous stop to prevent Driver doubling his tally. 6

Andreas Hinkel: Sucked in to allow Driver space to score. Poor distribution. 5

Stephen McManus: Hands full with Nade but vital contribution with the leveller.6

Gary Caldwell: Poor by his standards, especially in the passing department. 6

Mark Wilson: Day best forgotten as he struggled in attack and defensively. 4

Shunsuke Nakamura: Anonymous for most of day but provided cross for goal. 5

Scott Brown: Plenty of energy but his passing let him down. 6

Paul Hartley: Worked hard to stop Aguiar when Hearts counter-attacked. 7

Aiden McGeady: Lots of possession but little of note. Couldn't get better of Neilson. 5

Shaun Maloney: No joy in match before pulling a hamstring in 28 minutes.

3

Scott McDonald: Touch deserted him for most of the day but never stopped trying.

6

Subs: Georgios Samaras - not great but role in goal was vital, 5.

Lee Naylor - on for Wilson but crossing wasn't any better, 3.

HEARTS MAN BY MAN

Janos Balogh: Just one save to make and had no chance with Celtic goal. 6

Robbie Neilson: Walked a tightrope after booking in first minute and did well. 6

Marius Zaliukas: Terrific display by the centre-back as Celtic onslaught unfolded. 8

Christophe Berra: Another top-class show as captain held his team together. 7

Eggert Jonsson: Alien to left-back rolebut concentrated well and had good day. 7

Laryea Kingston: Towsy tussle with

Wilson but played a crucial role for opener. 6

Ruben Palazeulos: Formed a protective barrier with Karapidis in front of back two. 7

Christos Karapidis: Top-notch display from Greek who hardly missed a tackle. 7

Andy Driver: Always looking to run at Hinkel and real composure to bury goal. 8

Bruno Aguiar: Fine match, picking passes expertly but surprisingly replaced. 7

Christian Nade: Lone striker was a real pest, using his strength to great effect. 7

Subs: David Obua - on for Kingston but did nothing of note, 3. Deividas Cesnauskis - replaced Aguiar and looked lively, 4. Jamie Mole - on in last minute to waste time, 1.

Taken from the Daily Record