Celtic 1 St Mirren 0: GIVEN SCOTTISH referees had claimed so many headlines before a Premier League ball was kicked in anger, it is perhaps fitting that ire and officialdom were reacquainted in Glasgow's east end yesterday.
St Mirren have not had much luck where Celtic and key decisions are concerned.
Last season Shunsuke Nakamura embellished an 87th-minute challenge from Gary Mason to win a free-kick the Japan international promptly fired home to win a tight encounter at Love Street.
This time a penalty that will be ranked dubious at best clinched three points for the champions in front of a crowd of 57,441 at Celtic Park. That the common denominator was the referee, Eddie Smith, hardly improved the mood of the St Mirren manager, Gus MacPherson.
"He (Smith) was winking at me on the park," said MacPherson, rather intriguingly, afterwards.
"Although he'll deny that, obviously. I'm not going to comment on the penalty incident. Referees love being the centre of attention. If we talk about them, they are quite happy about that.
"Eddie Smith still thinks he got that decision last season right. That is worrying. There is absolutely no chance he will change his opinion on this one either."
Referees had threatened to strike on the SPL's opening weekend in a dispute over pay. A rise to €1,030 a match averted that situation but should also leave the men in black more accountable for their decisions.
Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink was clearly holding on to Will Haining before hitting his 60th-minute shot wide of the St Mirren goal. Smith, however, deemed Haining was the guilty party and awarded a spot-kick before issuing a red card to the St Mirren defender.
Not even Celtic's supporters, let alone Hesselink, made serious claims for the penalty and that the Dutch striker appeared to be offside when played in by Lee Naylor compounded the visitors' agony.
Mark Howard made a valiant attempt to stop Barry Robson's effort from 12 yards but the ball crawled over the line after the goalkeeper tried to save with his legs.
"I thought the referee was terrific," said Gordon Strachan, the Celtic manager, without even the hint of a smile. "And I thought it was a penalty. We only had four good players today and that isn't good enough."
Smith-gate added spark to what turned into a flat occasion. Marc Crosas, the 20-year-old midfielder signed on a four-year deal from Barcelona, had been unveiled to the Celtic fans before kick-off while last season's championship flag was unfurled by Rosemary Burns, wife of the late Celtic legend Tommy.
An insipid first half followed in which neither goalkeeper was called into meaningful action and Celtic desperately missed the injured Nakamura's creative talent. Quite what Crosas, who has been courted by Sevilla, made of matters is anyone's guess.
For Strachan, this was worryingly familiar to the opening day of last season, when his team toiled to a scoreless home draw against Kilmarnock.
St Mirren, prompted brilliantly from midfield by Hugh Murray, came within a post of opening the scoring in the first five minutes of the second half when Billy Mehmet was denied after collecting a Stephen O'Donnell pass.
At the other end, Celtic's lack of punch was demonstrated by Scott McDonald. He may have scored 31 goals last season but he opened this campaign in poor form and seemingly lacking in fitness.
Salvation was at hand, Smith's interventions ensuring Celtic got off to a winning start.
"Was it offside, was it a free kick?" added MacPherson, anxious to avoid another of his regular clashes with the Scottish Football Association and the financial penalty that generally follows. "There are a lot of questions but we won't get any answers, so there is no point asking."
Celtic know they must mount a more meaningful response before a hazardous trip to face Dundee United on Sunday.
CELTIC: Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor (Wilson 74), Robson (Caddis 81), Scott Brown, Hartley, McGeady, Vennegoor of Hesselink, McDonald (Samaras 75). Subs not used: Mark Brown, Donati, O'Dea, McGowan. Booked: Vennegoor of Hesselink.
ST MIRREN: Howard, Ross, Haining, Potter, Miranda, Murray, Brady (Gilerao 63), O'Donnell (Wyness 82), McGinn, Mehmet, Brighton (McAusland 63). Subs not used: Smith, Hamilton, Barron, McCay. Sent off: Haining (61).
Referee: E Smith (Scotland).
