St Mirren 0 - 2 Celtic

Mair absent for Buddies

Updated: September 25, 2009, 6:39 PM UK

St Mirren defender Lee Mair is suspended for the visit of Clydesdale Bank Premier League leaders Celtic.

Chris Innes will make his debut after Mair was sent off late in the 1-0 defeat by Aberdeen.

Mo Camara has undergone knee surgery while Steven Robb (groin) and Chris Smith (knee) are still absent.

Chris Innes has spent two seasons battling financial problems on behalf of his team-mates, so he is relishing the excitement of facing Celtic without any off-field worries.

Innes was captain of Gretna before being made redundant in March 2008 as the club slipped towards oblivion.

The defender then had a choice of destinations before deciding on Livingston, but he found similar problems there.

Innes, as skipper again, had to represent the players as they lobbied for their wages to be paid following repeated delays last season.

And he moved on again when a court appointed an interim manager to look after Livingston's finances in July, sparking their demotion to the Irn-Bru Third Division.

In sharp contrast, the 33-year-old now finds himself at a debt-free club with a new stadium and training facilities.

And he will make his St Mirren reintroduction - he played nine times for Saints on loan for Kilmarnock in 1999 - against Celtic as Lee Mair is suspended following his red card at Aberdeen last weekend.

"It's been fantastic coming here,'' the centre-half said. "It's been unfortunate at the past two clubs, certainly through no fault of my own, it was simply bad luck.

"But I'm here now and looking to prove the trust the manager has put in me by bringing me here.

"I'm looking to perform whenever I'm asked and it's a fresh challenge for me, which I'm absolutely relishing.''

Aiden McGeady is out of Celtic's squad but could return for the Europa League clash against Rapid Vienna on Thursday night.

The Republic of Ireland midfielder picked up an ankle knock in the Co-operative Insurance Cup win at Falkirk on Wednesday night but the injury is not as bad as first feared.

New signing Zheng Zhi, unveiled at Celtic Park this morning, will not be included as manager Tony Mowbray returns to his first-choice line-up after making eight changes for the cup game at the Falkirk Stadium.

Paddy McCourt's impressive display at Falkirk in midweek looks to have been in vain after boss Tony Mowbray hinted that the Irishman will struggle to even find a place on the bench.

Mowbray made eight changes to his side for the Co-operative Insurance Cup third-round tie on Wednesday night, which allowed the Northern Ireland midfielder his first 90 minutes in a competitive game since signing from Derry City last summer.

McCourt, 25, has developed into something of a cult figure at the club, due mainly to his performances in the reserves and friendlies and his occasional appearances as substitute.

He did not disappoint at the Falkirk stadium and his fine solo goal, to put Celtic 3-0 up, was the main talking point of a comfortable 4-0 win for the Parkhead men.

However, Mowbray, speaking at Celtic Park at the unveiling of new signing Zheng Zhi, the China captain, dampened down expectations of McCourt keeping his place.

The Parkhead boss described the midfielder as a "special talent", but then reiterated his frustration that the SPL's rules demands three Under-21 players need to be in each matchday squad.

"Some players who did well on Wednesday will find themselves sitting in the stand not even stripped,'' Mowbray said.

"There were some decent performances on Wednesday night, and I know that I have decent players. But we have to adhere to the rules.

"I know there was a lot written about Paddy. He is a special talent, with fantastic ability but it's finding the right chemistry and balance for any given game and there are other dimensions that he needs to work hard on.

"It's all about a balance when you put a football team out on the pitch.

"You look at strengths and weaknesses of the opposition and your own strengths and weaknesses and you decide whether the individuals are going to be part of the plans.

"Niall McGinn has also done exceptionally well over the last three or four weeks.

"As I formulate the squad of 18, Niall is one of those players who is either going to be playing a part or he might not even make the bench.

"That's the ridiculous situation you get.''