WAKE-UP CALL: ‘WE HAVE TO KEEP WORKING HARD,’ INSISTS JOTA

CELTIC got a wake-up call when they were turned over 2-0 by St Mirren in Paisley on September 18 last year.

It was the champions’ first Premiership reverse since a 1-0 flop against Livingston on September 19 2021.

The defeat in West Lothian had been new boss Ange Postecoglou’s third consecutive failure in away league games after previous setbacks at Tynecastle and Ibrox.

The Greek-Australian gaffer has the uncanny ability of taking positives from adversity as he underlined during the remainder of the 2021/22 league campaign when his team went through the programme without defeat.

THREE AND EASY…Filipe Jota rolls the winning goal behind Allan McGregor.

That sequence brought the club a championship after the previous wretched term when the historic bid for 10 in a row was obliterated shortly after the turn of the year.

Similarly, this time around in the bewildering display against Stephen Robinson’s side in Paisley, the stark reminder was hammered home that that nothing can be taken for granted.

The 3-2 triumph over Michael Beale’s Ibrox outfit at Parkhead at the weekend continued the undefeated run since the Saints shocker seven months ago and the Hoops are now 12 points ahead with only three wins required from seven remaining matches to claim the club’s eleventh crown in 12 years.

It’s a phenomenal record and only an inconceivable somersault in form will prevent the flag flying proudly again in Paradise at the end of another invigorating crusade.

You better believe, though, that slackers will not be tolerated by Postecoglou. If there is anyone on his staff who now believes they can slip into cruise control, they will soon find themselves on the outside looking in.

PARADISE…Filipe Jota soaks up the applause from the delighted Celtic fans after netting the third goal.

Filipe Jota, who nonchalantly swept in an angled drive beyond the despairing Allan McGregor for the third and winning goal, said: “There are still a lot of games to play and we just focus on every week.

“We know our football works, but we can’t sleep on it. The manager would never allow that to happen. That’s the good thing. We have to keep working hard.

“He wants us to be better versions of ourselves as footballers. They way we have developed over the two years since he came in is unbelievable.”

Jota, speaking to the Daily Record, added: “It you evaluate where we were then and where we are now – we are completely different.

“We are more complete players – who can deliver game after game. That is what we aim for. I was very, very happy with the result. It was an amazing shift from the lads.

“It was something we have been working towards since the first day and I am just grateful to be part of this team and this amazing football club.

“Now we go on.”