Football: Celtic refuse to admit defeat

Celtic believe they can still win the championship by digging into their reserves of quality for the Bell's Scottish League Premier Division run-in. Tommy Burns' team will close the gap on Rangers to six points if they beat Dunfermline at East End Park today, and the manager believes that is a tribute to the efforts of his back-up Bhoys over the last month.

Celtic have won five successive Premier Division matches since losing the Old Firm showdown at Ibrox on 2 January. At one stage, they trailed Rangers by 14 points due to games in hand. But, instead of crumbling, Celtic's resolve has simply hardened.

Burns said yesterday: "The players who play all the time are important, but now the ones who don't play in every game are even more vital.

"When you get the horrendous problems we have had this season, with injuries and suspensions, it's important to have people to call on who can maintain the standard. The way our so-called back-up players have maintained that standard has impressed me very much."

Celtic travel to Fife without injured Andreas Thom, Simon Donnelly, Brian O'Neil and Morten Wieghorst, although that is offset by the return of Paul McStay and Alan Stubbs.

Burns, who reported a move for Roma defender Enrico Annoni, also picked out young homegrown forwards Chris Hay and Brian McLaughlin for their contributions in recent matches. "They have added a freshness over the last month," he declared. "That is pleasing, especially approaching the run-in we have a lot of players bursting to play.

"Last season, I was able to play the same team in about 33 of our 45 league and cup games," Burns explained. "Questions didn't need to be asked of our squad then, but they certainly have been this time.

"The Old Firm match was a real kick in the teeth, but we never criticised the players for that as it basically boiled down to one mistake.

"We have had to bite the bullet and take all the flak that was going, but my players have shown resilience to come back and that's why victory at Dunfermline is very important."

Celtic have hit nine goals past the Pars in two matches at Parkhead. But this rearranged game, which has been cancelled three times because of the weather and international call-ups, is the first meeting in Fife.

"We're probably not as pretty to watch as last season," admitted Burns. "We're not as fluent away from home as we have been at Parkhead, but the players are prepared to work harder to make up for that."

Dunfermline are without injured Marc Miller and Allan Moore, while Gerry Britton is suspended and Colin Millar and Mark McCulloch face late fitness tests. Their manager, Bert Paton, said: "It's catch-up time for Celtic but we also need points. Nobody expects us to win. The pressure is on them."