SPLINTER CELL SO DEADLY

Celtic's subs are setting the benchmark by grabbing crucial goals

- BY CRAIG SWAN

TOMAS CVANCARA stepped off the bench to provide yet another pivotal point in Celtic's campaign.

In overall terms, manager Martin O'Neill has twice positively altered the direction of the squad's season.

But, match-to-match, it's his Parkhead game-changers who are increasingly proving key to keeping the champions in firm contention to retain their Premiership title.

The evidence in recent weeks during O'Neill's second short-term spell at the helm has been stark. Five times in the last six Premiership matches as Celtic have battled to stay on the heels of Hearts have his switches paid maximum and dramatic dividends.

When bottom-of-the-table Livingston arrived into Glasgow's East End in the middle of last month to kick off the sequence, they looked set to take an unlikely point with the game locked at 1-1 ticking into stoppage-time.

O'Neill had thrust new boy Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on with 12 minutes to go and the former England international came up trumps with the winner in virtually the last kick of the contest.

Four days later, the champions were in huge trouble in Ayrshire trailing 2-0 to Kilmarnock at halftime after a torrid opening period.

Sebastian Tounekti was among the switches made at the interval by O'Neill and the Tunisian star's top-corner thunderbolt from 25 yards set the wheels in motion for a dramatic 3-2 success which was sealed by Julian Araujo's last-gasp winner.

At Ibrox, Celtic were again 2-0 down at the break and came away with a point when Reo Hatate, who was one of the subs plunged into the derby for the second half, bundled home a penalty rebound at the third attempt to secure a point.