St Mirren 0 Celtic 4: match report St Mirren were without Gary Teale, long-term injury victim, and Kenny McLean - who needs a knee operation and will be out for several weeks - plus Jim Goodwin banned after applying his elbow to Stuart Armstrong of Dundee United on Boxing Day. The video evidence which ensured the Paisley captain's suspension was supplied by United, an action which caused Saints to grumble in the lead-up to this match. Mind you, a little reflection might have reminded them that when these teams met at the same ground last March - when Neil Lennon called Goodwin a "f---y" - a complaint was lodged with the Scottish Football Association by a St Mirren adherent directly behind the away dugout and sustained by evidence from the TV mikes in front, the consequence of which was a three-match pitchside ban for the Celtic manager. Certainly, Goodwin's more legitimate contributions would have been helpful on a day when the St Mirren back four found themselves under significant pressure for most of the proceedings. Yet when half-time arrived scoreless, it looked as though a familiar pattern had been established, to Celtic's frustration. They had spent the first half camped along the margins of Marian Kello's penalty box only to find their attempts to force a breakthrough blocked or deflected time after time. Even when the human barriers were circumvented, the goal frame entered the equation, as Mulgrew and Commons saw shots rebound from the same post. At the interval, however, Neil Lennon told his players that the decisive moment would not be long delayed. We felt that if we got a goal it would change the psychology of the game and we got our just reward - to break the club record for clean sheets is a fantastic achievement and the players can be proud. Mulgrew actually hit the post again after the break, when supplied by Adam Matthews, but this time the break of the ball took it behind Kello and Celtic were on their way. Stokes, who has cut a forlorn figure at times, took his chance with aplomb when he was supplied by Joe Ledley - whose representatives will discuss a contract extension with the club on Tuesday - and Commons completed the business, first with a stooping header from an Emilio Izaguirre cross and then with a slashing left-foot shot when James Forrest rolled the ball into his path. For Danny Lennon, there was a sanguine acceptance that St Mirren got as much good fortune as could be expected. I felt we were more than a match for such a quality side in the first half but you need luck and we got it when they hit the post twice. We had six players eligible for under-20 football - and that is a gulf between the sides. St Mirren (4-4-2): Kello; Naismith, McGregor, McAusland, Kelly; Newton, McGowan, McGinn, Grainger (Mair 75); Campbell (Reilly 84), Thompson (Brady 77). Subs Dilo (g), Van Zanten, Cuddihy, Williams. Booked Mair Celtic (4-4-1-1): Forster; Matthews, Ambrose, Van Dijk, Izaguirre; Forrest (Balde 79) Brown (Biton 77), Ledley, Mulgrew (Boerrigter 75); Commons; Stokes. Subs Zaluska (g), Rogic, Pukki, Fisher. Booked Brown, Izaguirre, Ambrose. Referee J Beaton.