PRE-SEASON friendlies are like foreplay: they titillate yet never satisfy. Victory against an impotent FC Basle in the Uhren Cup merely whetted the appetite of the Celtic fans who had travelled to Switzerland for a sight of the club's new signings in action.

First impressions of Massimo Donati are encouraging. Sporting the No.18 jersey vacated by Neil Lennon, the Italian looked every bit as dependable in the middle of the field as his predecessor. The purchase from AC Milan also showed enough glimpses of grace and guile to suggest his will be a seamless transition from Serie A to the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

The swarthy Donati barely broke sweat during a flawless 45-minute debut. He showed a neatness of touch, an instinctive navigation of the midfield and the ability to activate those around him. Gordon Strachan has already claimed he cost considerably less than the £3m quoted and, if so, could prove an inspired piece of business.

There was a classic Lennon moment midway through the first half when Donati scuttled back to aid his defence and thwarted Adelson Cabral with a perfectly timed tackle.

Strachan was enthused by his new acquisition. "I thought Donati did alright and people in Scotland know what Scott Brown and Scott MacDonald are capable of but Celtic fans over here saw a few things.

"The performance was surprising considering that we only had two days of training and worked extremely hard this morning. The competition is actually bigger than I though, I was only expecting a couple of hundred people here instead of the 8000 that were."

Thomas Gravesen, one of last summer's high-profile signings, provided a predictably chaotic 45-minute appearance. The Dane has decided to fight for his place, at least according to agent-speak, but did little to enhance his prospects. A hospital pass to Aiden McGeady and surrendering possession to Cabral outside his own penalty box were not the way to win redemption.

His contribution was in contrast to a more prudent investment. Teddy Bjarnason has stalked the periphery of the first-team in recent months, featuring towards the end of last season. The Icelander, who has graduated from the youth system, has not only proven himself the master of the arduous bleep test at the club's training camp in Spiez (along with the unrecognisably lithe figure of Adam Virgo, curiously enough), but also showed a maturity of play to boost his chances of elevation.

Bjarnason was the architect of the goal. Stationed on the right of midfield, his excellently weighted reverse-pass enabled Kenny Miller to roll the ball under Franco Costanzo.

As if to underline the squad depth at his disposal, verging on an unsustainable surplus, Strachan fielded almost an entirely new side for the second half. The only survivors were Steven Pressley, who shared the captaincy with Stephen McManus, and Mark Wilson, whose game time last season was curtailed by a broken ankle and knee ligament damage.

The raft of changes enabled Scott Brown to make his first appearance since his £4.4m transfer from Hibernian; likewise McDonald after joining from Motherwell.

They brought an injection of impetus, Brown's energetic, scampering a visual complement to the loping gait of Jiri Jarosik in midfield, and McDonald buzzing around Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink to good effect.

In fact, the Australian almost scored, using his spring to deliver a header that forced a smart save.

The one cause for concern was a lack of pace in central defence, especially when Bobo Balde, back from a broken leg, partnered Pressley.

Celtic (4-4-2) M Brown (McGovern 45); Wilson, Pressley, Kennedy (Balde 45), Naylor (McManus 45); Bjarnason (Virgo 45), Donati (S Brown 45), Gravesen (Jarosik 45), McGeady (Riordan 45); Miller (Vennegoor of Hesselink 45), Zurawksi (McDonald 45).

Basle (4-5-1) Costanzo; Morganella, Baumann, Marque, Hodel; Ergic, Huggel, Stocker, Burgmeier, Cabral; Eduardo. Attendance 8612