CELTIC cruised through 26 games in the league last season before any other team managed to get the better of them.

That defeat at Aberdeen at the end of February turned out to be little more than a bump on the road as they motored towards their third successive title, ending up a distance of 29 points clear of their nearest challengers Motherwell.

It was the kind of winning margin which has become the norm for the Parkhead club.

But, in this season of transition in the manager's office and on the field, it is all change in the league table, too.

The Hoops trail Hamilton Academical by six points after losing at home to the surprise leaders in their last match before the international break.

In their first eight games, Celtic have shed two-thirds of the total number of points they lost in the entire 38-match season last time around.

There is no cause for alarm, even if this inconsistent form has allowed five teams to move above them at this stage. Rather, it is a time for cool heads and experience.

Which is precisely what Adam Matthews hopes to bring back to the party when he makes his return to action after recovering from the calf injury which has kept him out since the end of August.

Since he arrived at Parkhead from Cardiff City on a Bosman in 2011, winning the league title is all the Welsh defender has known.

So to find the Hoops playing catch-up - albeit with a game in hand over those above them in the Premiership table - is a novel experience for him.

It is also one he would like to end as quickly as possible.

And why taking three points at Dingwall at lunchtime on Saturday is considered a must because it will help put at least a little pressure on the teams who must play after them.

Matthews is not blasé enough to believe that, just because they remain red-hot favourites to retain their title, it will all automatically come good for Ronny Deila's side.

He said: "It's been a bad start for us but, with the players we have, we can put a good run together and I'm sure we can climb back up the league.

"We just need to keep calm, keep doing what we are doing in training, then do that when we play at the weekend."

The Welsh right-back underlines, however, that they will have to work for it, and show the necessary improvement of form, consistency and results that brought them their hat-trick of titles.

And that goes for every department of the side, with too many goals conceded and too many chances spurned.

"I'm sure that we will get it together and click soon," said the 22-year-old defender.

"Some of the football we've been playing has been good, but we just haven't managed to get the results we wanted.

"We still need to take our chances but I'm sure we will get back up the league if we play our best football."

ABOVE all else, Matthews insists it is team spirit which will help the club negotiate the required turnaround, though the sooner it starts the happier he will be.

He knows only too well how quickly the crisis headlines can appear and recalled: "In my first season here, we were 15 points behind at one stage.

"But just after Christmas we were one point ahead and went on to win the league.

"A big turning point was the game at Kilmarnock when we were 3-0 down at half-time.

"People felt that was it for us and we were going to end up 18 points behind."

Rangers were the club on top at that time, and Neil Lennon admitted he was considering his position as he headed in to give what was the most important half-time team talk of his fledgling managerial career.

Now, with no challenge from Ibrox until next season at the earliest, the theory is Celtic no longer have the incentive to make every game a victory, something Lennon has alluded to since returning to the game as boss of Bolton this week.

Matthews accepts that the motivation must come from within and standards still have to be maintained, no matter which other 11 teams make up the SPFL Premiership. He also recognises how one spark can ignite an entire season.

That came in an incredible second half at Rugby Park in October, 2011, when two goals from Anthony Stokes and a late Charlie Mulgrew equaliser salvaged Celtic's season.

Thinking back to what the reaction would have been had they lost to Killie and fallen so far behind as Lennon chased his first title as a manager, Matthews said: "It may have been too much for us, mentally more than anything else.

"But we came back to score three goals in that second half. Getting the draw gave us a boost of confidence that we could go on a good run - and that is what happened.

"So, you need to have a good team spirit and stay together. The Celtic team then were good at doing that and I'm sure this one can be as well."

LIKE then, this group of Hoops players is still getting to know one another after several new additions were made in the summer.

What has not changed, however, is the demand that every game is won, no matter if it is in Europe, the league, or the domestic cups. That can be the toughest aspect of playing for the club for any new Bhoy to understand and then accept as most come from a culture where winning is considered a bonus, not a necessity.

Matthews can see signs the message is getting through.

The Welshman explained: "Every time we lose, especially the next day, the atmosphere isn't great and we are all a bit quiet and down."

It was impossible to gauge if this was the case following the shock home defeat to Hamilton 11 days ago as the bulk of the squad immediately headed off to join up with their national teams all over the world.

The down time, though, has given Matthews the chance to reflect on what went wrong in that particular game.

His conclusion is that it was simply a case of opportunity missed … several times.

"In parts of the game, we looked like a a good team," he told the Celtic View.

"We just need to do that for the full 90 minutes. If we can do that, we can go on a long, unbeaten run."

The first steps of which must be safely negotiated in Dingwall this weekend.