NO-ONE can accuse Mika Baur of possessing a lack of timing.
The German midfielder, recruited from Bundesliga outfit SC Paderborn in the summer, claimed his first Celtic goal against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park last night.
And that second-half strike was enough to give the champions a 1-0 victory in an encounter where they made – and missed – a procession of chances.
Plus there was the fact that Toby Steward, in the Saints goal, was in defiant mood and produced a string of superb saves as the Parkhead men attempted to put the outcome beyond dispute.
MATCHWINNER ON THE WAY…Mika Baur prepares to tap home against St Johnstone.
The Hoops walked the tightrope again as they had done at the weekend when they overcame Sy Mirren 2-1 in Paisley.
There were anxious and nervy moments before referee Matthew MacDermid blew for full-time on the 94-minute mark.
It was far too tight for comfort and it took a magnificent save from debutant Sam Johnstone from opening the scoring against the run of play in the 20th minute when the on-loan Wolves keeper spectacularly touched over a netbound effort from Joel Cotterill.
Discussing his points-clinching strike, modest matchwinner Baur beamed: “It was a tap-in and not that special, but I’m very, very happy that I scored the winning goal.
LITTLE BIG SHOT…Mika Baur celebrates his points-clincher.
“We had a tough first-half and we can thank Sam Johnstone. He was brilliant, so it was down to him that it was 0-0 at half-time. Then in the second-half we did much better.
“We created chances, we played faster and we had a better position during the game.”
Apart from his crucial strike, Baur produced an excellent all-round display alongside skipper Callum McGregor in the middle of the park.
Now the 22-year-old skilful performer is eager to sample the atmosphere of the Glasgow derby in the Premier Sports League Cup quarter-final at Ibrox on Sunday.
Baur, speaking to CelticPlayer, added: “I know it’s a very special match.
“I’m happy that I can play these matches. I never experienced it before, so I’m looking forward to Sunday.”
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