Celtic 1 Everton 0: Gordon Strachan last night admitted he might have to bring the veteran striker Dion Dublin back to Celtic to bolster a strike force that is severely lacking in physical presence.

But Celtic - who had Kenny Miller and Maciej Zurawski in a new-look strikeforce against Everton - are still finding goals hard to come by ahead of the Scottish Premier League kick-off, just five days away.

Dublin spent the final five months of last season at Celtic Park and it is understood Strachan was reluctant to release the former Manchester United, Coventry and Leicester forward when his short-term deal expired.

The Celtic manager's subsequent attempts to sign a replacement for John Hartson have proved in vain and he confirmed that a second move for Dublin was "definitely possible" because he was still in contact with the 37-year-old.

Strachan's next task is to convince the Celtic board Dublin would offer value for money before the Champions League campaign, but on the evidence of this friendly, it appears plain a powerful striker is necessary for the challenges ahead.

Strachan was again left to bemoan Celtic's pre-season goal shortage - they have scored only two goals in nine hours of football - after his team's latest below-par display.

"I don't have to explain it to anybody. I think if you look at our results you'll see that we have to concentrate more on our finishing," he said.

"We either bring someone else in or improve what we've got here. We need a presence up front. There is a lot on the shoulders of Maciej Zurawski and Kenny Miller just now so we could do with a bit of help."

A noticeable gloom lifted around Celtic Park with 12 minutes remaining when the substitute Aiden McGeady struck the only goal of the match, but the majority of the home support appeared unconvinced by their side's performance.

Those fans are a long way from any kind of revolt but there is a feeling of frustration in the air after a dismal pre-season campaign to date.

Strachan has aired his own reservations over Celtic's build-up to the new season, which has involved games in Poland and the United States and will culminate in trips to Stamford Bridge and Japan after the Scottish Premier league campaign gets under way.

Peter Lawwell, the club's chief executive, has defended such matches by claiming that Celtic's pre-season is no more arduous than that of Manchester United or Rangers, but what the Scottish champions have withheld in energy they appear to have lost in confidence in front of goal - a cause for alarm with the SPL start now a mere five days away.

To add to the club's ills, star midfielder Stilian Petrov could also be soon on his way, after recently reiterating his desire to leave the Scottish champions.

Celtic chairman Brian Quinn yesterday branded the Bulgarian international's wish to turn his back on the Parkhead club despite only signing a four-year contract in January as "bizarre".

Everton enjoyed the better of the opening period yesterday, with their £8.6 million striker Andy Johnson particularly lively.

The 25-year-old forced Artur Boruc into two smart reaction saves within the space of two minutes. Gary Naysmith, understood to be another Strachan transfer target, gifted Shunsuke Nakamura the chance to open the scoring for Celtic seconds before half-time but the Japanese playmaker hit the corner flag with his shot.

McGeady's well-placed drive, which arrived amid a flurry of substitutions, was harsh on Everton but Moyes was not downhearted by the result.

Moyes was further encouraged by the debut performances of Tim Howard and Joleon Lescott, the latter playing 45 minutes alongside Alan Stubbs at the heart of the defence after recovering from a virus.

James McFadden was missing but the former Celtic player revealed the Scotland international was close to signing a new contract, said Moyes.