Martin O'Neill singled out match-winner Yang Hyun-jun for praise after his Celtic side came from behind to defeat St Mirren 2-1 at the Marbill Coaches Stadium. The victory extended Celtic's perfect start to the domestic season, but the manager warned his new signings about the relentless challenge of the Scottish Premiership.
St Mirren had taken a shock lead in the 22nd minute through a Nikolas Agrafiotis penalty, marking the first time the champions had trailed since clinching the title last season. The Buddies' disciplined defence held firm until the 51st minute, when Liam Scales powered in a header to level the score. The decisive moment arrived in the 68th minute, with Yang Hyun-jun finishing a move to complete the turnaround for the visitors.
O'Neill's warning and praise
Speaking after the match, the Celtic boss used the hard-fought nature of the contest as a lesson for his squad's recent additions. "The Premiership is hard," O'Neill stated, emphasising the physical and mental demands of the league. He then turned his focus to the South Korean winger who secured the points. "He could be a proper player in time," O'Neill said. "He could be. I could see him starting, very easily."
That praise comes with immediate consequence, as Yang is now set to miss Celtic's next four matches due to international duty. O'Neill expressed his disappointment at losing a player in such fine form, adding a light-hearted but genuine hope for his national team's success to avoid mandatory military service. "I hope they get beaten quickly! No, I don't. I don't," he joked before clarifying. "Please, scrub that! He'll read this and he'll be really disappointed."
St Mirren's resilient display
For St Mirren, the performance offered positives despite the defeat. They frustrated the league leaders for long periods and took the lead through Agrafiotis's confident spot-kick. The match also featured a late VAR drama, as a goal from Celtic's 18-year-old loanee Shim Mheuka was ruled out for offside in the closing stages. The result, however, forms part of a challenging recent run for Stephen Robinson's side, who have now lost their last two Premiership matches.
Our current standings show St Mirren sitting fourth in the table with 10 points from six games, having scored eight goals and conceded six. They are eight points behind leaders Celtic. This follows a 1-0 loss to Rangers just four days prior to the Celtic match, a game decided by a Bojan Miovski goal in stoppage time. The squad continues to deal with absences, with Keanu Baccus, Liam Donnelly and Malik Dijksteel currently sidelined.
Looking ahead
The focus now shifts to the next challenge, a trip to face Hibernian at Easter Road on 30 December. Hibs currently occupy eighth place, making it a key fixture as St Mirren aim to consolidate their position in the top half. The team will need to rediscover the defensive resilience shown in their 1-0 win over St Johnstone in August to get back to winning ways after this tough spell against the Old Firm.
