Gretna 0 - 3 Celtic

This was hard work. And that was just for the supporter. A cold Easter Sunday at Almondvale proved that penance can go into extra-time for even the most secular of football fans. There was, finally, some sort of redemption for Celtic.

Their manager has become a stickler for facts and one pealed out irrevocably. Celtic won this match and continue their pursuit of Rangers in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, thus setting up a routinely crucial Old Firm clash next week.

The summation of yesterday's performance, though, must be a matter of opinion. An unwitting canvas of the Celtic fans surrounding the press box at Almondvale lent noisy support to the belief that it was a frustrating, unsatisfying afternoon for the champions that only carried the substantial consolation of three points.

These, of course, should never have been in doubt against a Gretna team that seemed so young there might be problems if Mick Wadsworth chooses the same bunch on a school night.

Their propensity for causing an upset was limited to two chances for the tireless but lonely Ben Wilkinson and an excellent opening for Nicky Deverdics, who fluffed a shot from close in with game delicately poised at 1-0.

However, three smart strikes from Celtic eventually brought their fans' suffering to an end. The goals would also have cheered the manager.

Much has been made of the champions' mini-drought in front of goal. This was ended by a light rainfall rather than the deluge many Celtic fans hoped for when they scanned Gretna's team sheet that was the result of a a dodgy balance sheet.

The goals, too, proved the value of perspiration over inspiration in a title chase. Scott McDonald had a wretched day, eventually being substituted. Yet the little Australian also notched up his 26th goal of the season.

It came after Artur Boruc launched the ball, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink nodded it on and McDonald prodded home - further proof of the truism that perseverance can bring substantial rewards.

This was also exemplified by Celtic's two other goals. Aiden McGeady, so often Celtic's saviour this season, had an unsatisfactory match by his standards. Yet he too found a glittering reward at the end of an afternoon of hard labour.

As Celtic entered a period in the second half when a Gretna goal would have been calamitous, McGeady found a cross of accuracy and strength. Vennegoor of Hesselink applied his head and Celtic, for the first time on a fraught afternoon, could relax.

McGeady found another deadly cross with two minutes remaining and Georgios Samaras finished cutely.

The rest of the match offered a surfeit of evidence pointing to Celtic's recent problems. There was possession. There were crosses. And there was no lack of effort from Celtic. But the pressure was insistent rather than overwhelming.

Greg Fleming had only three outstanding saves to make. The first was from McGeady, who cut inside before shooting. The second came after Barry Robson unleashed a strong, but straight, effort. The best effort came in the second half, when McDonald saw the keeper parry his shot wide.

The first half had only one moment of triumph for Celtic, when McDonald found the net. The rest was frustration. Scott Brown had two moments of threat in rapid succession. But his shot was blocked and his subsequent header was cleared off the line by Paul Murray.

There was a litany of blocked shots and misplaced passes. These did little to unnerve an inexperienced Gretna side but they increased the pressure on the defending champions and their supporters.

There was one vignette that summed up the first half. A period of prolonged Celtic possession saw Lee Naylor free on the edge of the box. He could have shot but chose, instead, to clip an innocuous cross into no-man's land. Good possession, therefore, did not result in even the most fleeting of chances.

Gretna's resistance was heroic but McDonald's goal rendered it ultimately futile. The second half was much more comfortable for Celtic though Deverdics should have equalised but scuffed wide.

The subsequent strikes by Samaras and Vennegoor of Hesselink gave the scoreline a pleasing aspect for the Celtic manager. However, this was an afternoon of hard toil rather than one that engendered sunny optimism.

Brown and Robson, who were both substituted, were the pick of Celtic's players, although the former Hibs midfielder picked up his mandatory silly booking that will see him miss three games later in season, including the Old Firm match before the split. He did enough, however, to ensure his selection for next week's game at Ibrox.

Strachan, though, has an intriguing dilemma up front. McDonald is in poor form and also suffered a slight injury that means he will almost certainly miss Australia's trip to China this week. Samaras may have done enough in his brief cameo yesterday to ensure a starting role at Ibrox. The Greek striker declared his confidence post-match that he could score against Rangers.

Will Strachan give him his chance? The Celtic manager may be for the moment glad that three chances of another sort were taken yesterday.