Killie Pick Up Valuable Parkhead Point

Celtic 1 Kilmarnock 1
(Scot Premier Division, Match 5, Rugby Park, Sept 12th 1998)

IF it is always darkest before dawn, daylight is not yet breaking over Celtic Park. Just when they were in sore need of a full quota of three points to repair their dented self belief, Celtic failed to deliver as Regi Blinker's first-half goal was cancelled out by a clinical finish from Jerome Vareille, before Paul Lambert was sent off late on.

The dismay that swept the vast bowl of the stadium was almost tangible. It was as recently as May that it echoed with thunderous approval as Tom Boyd held the League trophy aloft after a barren decade, yet over an excruciating summer everything conceivable seemed to go wrong, most of it stemming from the acrimonious departure of Wim Jansen, the head coach. Now it has come to a head with a massive vote of no confidence from supporters' associations in Jock Brown, the general manager, the nomination of a high-profile mediator to resolve the bickering over bonuses and even rumours of a Japanese investment house setting its sights on the club. If a week is a long time in football, the last few months must have seemed an absolute eternity to Celtic's passionate, but frustrated support.

Their fevered brows can really only be soothed by favourable events on the pitch and in that respect the omens for this particular match had seemed promising. It wasn't just that Kilmarnock succumbed to the same First Division side, Airdrie, which had expelled Celtic from the League Cup. On top of that, the visitors had the temerity to field Ian Durrant, not exactly Celtic Park's favourite guest of all time, with Ally McCoist coming off the bench in the second half. If Celtic needed any extra incentive, that surely was it.

In the event, they still failed to unearth last season's fluency, and their solution to a striking problem which is verging on the chronic - the restoration of Harald Brattbakk, the scorer of all four goals in the last encounter between the sides at Celtic Park - never looked like coming off.

Though Celtic responded energetically to the surging waves of sound which accompanied their every move, they never quite carried enough ammunition to subdue a Kilmarnock side which, once its damage limitation strategy was punctured, rethought its game plan with admirable clarity.

Dr Jozef Venglos, Celtic's head coach, conceded his disappointment. "For nearly an hour, we played well enough," he asserted. "However, though we pushed players forward, we couldn't create a second goal. It is a pity that Lambert's sending off means he will miss the Rangers game."

Bobby Williamson was highly gratified by the result, especially as his team has never won at Celtic Park in the Premier League. "It was a great point for us," the Kilmarnock manager admitted. "We performed very well at the back."

With both McCoist and Paul Wright confined to the bench, Kilmarnock's formation was of the more cautious variety, with Gary Holt taking up position between the central defenders to smother the menace of Henrik Larsson. However, Kilmarnock were refreshingly adept at breaking fast in support of Vareille, the sole striker. Durrant, in particular, seemed to have the remit of operating at Vareille's shoulder whenever possible and twice stretched home keeper Jonathan Gould with shrewdly placed drives.

For Celtic, it was going to be a matter of maintaining both their shape and their patience, as they strove to come to terms with such a highly-structured defence. Larsson and Donnelly constructed patterns which eventually had the effect of softening Kilmarnock's resistence. With half an hour gone, Stephane Mahe's free kick was awkwardly headed away by Holt and Blinker, strategically placed at the edge of the box, delivered a fierce volley low into the corner.

Kilmarnock's response came in the form of a searing drive from Kevin McGowne, which only fractionally cleared the bar. They had to be admired for adhering to their policy of thoughtful build-up and it was a cruel misfortune when, just on half time, they were obliged to reorganise as Gus MacPherson was carried off on a stretcher after tackling Brattbakk and David Bagan appeared in his place.

Bagan's arrival eased the pressure on Vareille, who reacted promptly by running on to a superb diagonal pass from Alan Mahood and driving the ball in via the underside of the bar.

Shortly afterwards, Brattbakk was withdrawn in favour of Darren Jackson. Yellow cards for Vareille, Mahe and Lambert were symptoms of a more irritable atmosphere, with Lambert's booking almost exacting a heavy price as Durrant's free kick soared marginally beyond the far post.

Suddenly, Kilmarnock seemed to sense that an even richer harvest might be there for the reaping. By bringing on McCoist and Wright together for Vareille and Durrant they signalled a more positive intent.

In the 78th minute, a futile indiscretion by Lambert gravely damaged Celtic's ambitions. His tackle from behind on Wright brought an inevitable second yellow card and instant dismissal.

Though Celtic's 10 men dug deep into their inner resources, and assembled a fair amount of pressure thereafter, the sturdy Kilmarnock defence never relinquished its hold. Only Larsson, always ready to apply an inventive touch, threatened to break through, but as the final whistle approached, Kilmarnock, thorough and composed, were in no mood for yielding. Nor would their splendid endeavours have merited such a fate.

Kilmarnock: MacPherson (Bagan 43min); Durrant (Wright 65min); Vareille (McCoist 65min).

Booked: Vareille (59min); Lambert (61min); Mahe (64min); McGowne (79min).

Sent off: Lambert (78min).

Referee: H Dallas (Motherwell).

Attendance: 58,361.