Celtic's win forces O'Neill to admit Duran is indispensable

Celtic’s narrow victory over St Johnstone has left Martin O’Neill under pressure, confirming the club’s sixth consecutive league win but exposing a heavy reliance on striker Camilo Duran, who sat on the bench for 73 minutes.

By JOHN MCGARRY AT MCDIARMID PARK , 10 September 2026 , 10 September 2026 the champions secured their sixth straight league win courtesy of Mika Baur’s first goal for the club against St Johnstone.

O’Neill was visibly frustrated after leaving six‑goal Duran on the bench for most of the game, lamenting the side’s failure to convert a string of half chances. “We could have scored a number of goals, but we made that look very, very difficult indeed,” he said.

O'Neill’s doubts over the bench

The manager declared that he now cannot live without Duran, calling him “class” and noting his work both on and off the ball. He added that Duran is “second only to Daizen Maeda in terms of closing players down”, and that Kasper Hogh’s goal drought after a quick start in Glasgow makes the Colombian irreplaceable.

Five changes were made to the side, with Sam Johnstone starting ahead of Viljami Sinisalo in goal. Johnstone produced an “excellent” save to deny Joel Cotterill, a moment O’Neill described as “a big, big moment in the game for us”.

Mika Baur emerged as the hero, netting his first goal since his summer transfer. O’Neill joked about a “bit of cramp” for the goalkeeper, adding a light note to the otherwise tense match.

Looking ahead to the cup clash

O’Neill confirmed that Oliver Sorensen started the game while Duran only entered in the final ten to fifteen minutes, giving the manager “food for thought”. He also said Cameron Carter‑Vickers, absent from the match‑day squad, should be available for the upcoming Premier Sports Cup tie against Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday.

Kieran Tierney, who came on as a late substitute, is also ready for the Ibrox encounter. “It’s nice to see him,” O’Neill said, adding that even if Tierney had not featured, he would have been fine for Sunday.