St Johnstone 1 Celtic 0 – Balodis scores as Saints shock Hoops to boost survival hopes and delay Parkhead title party
THE ribbons and balloons will still get used.
Bottles of title-winners’ champagne popped.
But it just won’t be happening at Celtic Park this Saturday after St Johnstone pulled off a stunning victory over Brendan Rodgers’ champions-elect.
A header from Latvian international Daniels Balodis just four minutes in put Simo Valakari’s side ahead and they held onto it against a group of Hoops players who struggled to get going until it was far too late.
Saints played the bobbly conditions perfectly, even engaging in the dark arts of getting a second half message through to slow their ballboys down to a sloth-like pace.
After going into the afternoon looking dead and buried, eight points adrift at the bottom, these unexpected three points have given them a glimmer of hope.
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Celtic will still lift the title, that’s inevitable, but this was another stumble.
To put it in some context - a first loss to Saints in 32 matches and two decades since they’ve been top of the Premiership losing to the bottom club.
They’d won their last 15 visits to Perth, scoring 48 goals in the process, and nearly added another within 40 seconds here.
They hunted down defender Zach Mitchell, dispossessing him on the edge of his own box before feeding Arne Engels inside the box to shoot.
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He let fly but his effort was too straight right into Fisher’s arms.
Saints then had a chance from a Makenzie Kirk cross, finding Balodis inside the box but his header flew just over.
That was a warning for the Hoops, though, and they didn’t take it.
Kirk was upended wide on the right so that gave Graham Carey the chance to whip a free kick in and what a ball he produced.
He found the Latvian again for Balodis to this time flick a header past Viljami Sinisalo from six yards.
Celtic thought they’d equalised on 13 minutes with a tap-in from Nicolas Kuhn at the back post from a Daizen Maeda shot which flashed right across.
But just as the German looked set to poke home, Stephen Duke-McKenna somehow got there to block right on the line and save his side conceding.
St Johnstone were getting pegged back but showed they’re dangerous on the break, getting Adama Sidibeh challenging Cameron Carter-Vickers up top.
They won territory on 22 minutes, with Drey Wright’s throw falling nicely for Duke-McKenna to volley and that teased a solid save out of Sinisalo.
Things nearly took a disastrous turn for Valakari’s side on the half-hour with a shocker of a backpass by Sam Curtis allowing Maeda to nick in and take it round Fisher.
Luckily for them the Japanese striker was forced wide so the keeper had a second chance to get down low and push his shot away.
Saints claimed a penalty for a Reo Hatate handball as the midfielder fell backwards, but VAR man Greg Aitken quickly quelled their appeals by confirming it hit his chest.
But they could have gone two up from the corner kick, this time Sidibeh meeting Carey’s dead ball at the back post but this time Sinisalo was able to smother.
Rodgers clearly didn’t like what he was seeing so made two changes at the break, replacing Jeffrey Schlupp with Grey Taylor and Kuhn with Yang.
The Hoops certainly started the second half with more purpose, leaving Saints relying on a last-gasp tackle from Sidibeh to block Auston Trusty.
And then from the corner kick, a slick pass inside caught the home defence napping to serve Hatate up with a sight of goal.
He steadied himself, picked a spot and let fly - but was left in agony as it cracked back off the inside of the post.
The game should have been levelled on the hour from a cutback from Jota to Hatate which was asking to be turned home.
But the midfielder swung wildly at it on the penalty spot, sending his shot high into the stand.
Rodgers then made another change, bringing on Adam Idah for Maeda in a bid to get a goal.
Valakari was then forced into his first moves, replacing Wright who went down under a challenge from Jota, and had to be helped off by the physios.
He made another three at the same time - replacing Wright, Carey, Kirk and Sidibeh with Taylor Steven, Sven Sprangler, Benji Kimpioka and Nicky Clark.
Steven, a winger, was tasked with going in at left-back to duel it out with Yang and within seconds the Korean sent a dangerous ball whizzing through the six-yard box.
Rodgers made his final roll of the dice, turning to James Forrest - who has scored a dozen goals against Saints over the years - as the man to make a difference.
Saints sub Kimpioka should have doubled their lead but dithered on his shot before it worked back to Griffith, who fired one from the edge of the box which was deflected over.
Celtic’s Yang had to soldier on with a sore arm after twisting it, and nearly set up Forrest with a ball into the box which he met sweetly but Fisher saved.
He then had another crack from the edge of the box but the on-loan Swansea keeper had his measure again.
Fisher then smothered an Idah driven cross before Forrest could pounce, as Celtic piled the pressure on late
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He then pulled off another stunning stop to prevent sub Luke McCowan turning home six yards out.
But Saints clung on to cut the gap at the bottom back to five. They couldn’t, could they?
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