Ange hands Keevins a lesson as he spooks master tactician David Martindale

The excitement was almost dribbling off the page as Hugh Keevins completed his column for the Daily Record/Sunday Mail.

With a career spent playing up to stereotypes he couldn’t resist dragging up horror tales from Celtic’s previous trips to Livingston.

The cocktail of a plastic pitch, Celtic’s Champions League distractions and the tactical genius that is David Martindale was enough to warm the heart for a Sunday lunchtime thriller.

If extra evidence was required Livi drew at Ibrox last week, against the side that Keevins had tipped to take the title from Celtic.

Anticipating Livi causing trouble for Celtic, yesterday Keevins told Record readers:

Jersey on first and then the incontinence pants. It was that way for Rangers last weekend when they were fortunate to get away with a draw against Livi at Ibrox. And Celtic have no grounds for being dismissive of Martindale’s team today.

The manager could once more influence the progress of the title race on a budget Rishi Sunak would say constituted a national crisis.

Martindale is an illusionist. He makes you contradict the evidence of your own eyes with his team of odds and sods. Livi are more than they should be on a regular basis.

Celtic are not yet all they can be to Postecoglou’s way of thinking. He wants them in the Champions League on an annual, as opposed to irregular, basis.

In order to do that Ange’s team will need to win their domestic league for starters. And that means overpowering mechatronman along the way to maintaining the lead they currently have over Rangers.

A look at the SPFL Premiership table today will remind Keevins of factual events, with 11 wins out of 12 Ange Postecoglou’s side are four points clear at the top of the table despite only playing five home matches to dat. Livingston are in ninth place despite taking a point at Ibrox.