Celtic completed 2021 on something of a high with a 3-1 win away to St Johnstone despite having close to 20 players unavailable.
After limping through December with barely a striker to call upon the hoops arrived in Perth with the guts ripped out of the squad that had drawn 0-0 away to St Mirren on Wednesday night.
Tony Ralston, Greg Taylor, Mikey Johnston, Callum McGregor, Scott Bain and Liam Shaw all featured in Paisley but were posted missing when the team-lines were released.
Kyogo Furuhashi made a fleeting return but after racing to get onto a diaginal pass from James McCarthy the striker pulled up injured with Joey Dawson sent on after 15 minutes to make his debut.
Liel Abada scored either side of that substitution but a header from Chris Kane in the 69th minute put the result in doubt as the home side cashed in on slackness from Carl Starfelt.
Fortunately Nir Bitton scored his first Celtic goal of the season in the 82nd minute to restore the two goal advantage leaving the hoops six points behind at the top of the table with the next match scheduled for January 17 at home to Hibs.
