RONNY DEILA was never fortunate enough to win a full cap for Norway.

But he knows how tough it can be to pick up the thread again after an international break and get back to the bread-and-butter of club football.

His Celtic side were swinging along very nicely before the latest hiatus, collecting the League Cup and re-opening the gap over Aberdeen and the rest of the chasing pack.

But for the fifth time since he began his transformation of the Hoops - following their world series of games against Dundee United - he had to wave off most of his first-team squad and keep his fingers crossed they would all return none the worse for their exertions with their respective national teams.

Those not involved in Euro 2016 qualifiers, Gold Cup qualifiers and sundry friendlies were afforded the well-deserved luxury of some down time with their families and friends.

Dubai appeared to have more Celtic players per square mile than the East End of Glasgow as batteries were recharged, and bank accounts drained.

But while Deila also took advantage of the break to grab some rays - and some Norwegian training sessions - in Spain, always in the back of his mind was the nagging question: Can we pick up where we left off, or will momentum be disturbed?

He got his answers - all in the positive - at New St Mirren Park on Friday when his Easter weekend kicked off with a 2-0 win over bottom club, Saints.

However, perhaps more interesting than the game itself for the Hoops fans who rolled along to Paisley was the team selection, clearly the result of some careful consideration by the deep-thinking manager.

Deila prioritised the points, which allowed his team to open up the gap over Aberdeen to a comfortable margin with nine games to go.

But he is also very aware of the heavy schedule which faces his side, the trip to St Mirren being the first of six games inside just 19 days before the split.

On top of the 51 matches Celtic have already played, Deila is also very conscious of the commitment many are making at international level.

So even though they were up against a Saints side which has recorded just one home win all season, there was probably as much thought went into his team selection as for any other match, including European ties, all season.

It meant Nir Bitton, such a key figure in recent months, was one of those regulars left on the bench until James Forrest gave the Hoops the lead mid-way through the second half.

Anthony Stokes got a rare start at the point of the attack, while Leigh Griffiths ate his tea-cake and John Guidetti got serenaded by Hoops fans every time he went out to warm up.

Fortunately, this time the Swede did not join in the song which has already got him up on an SFA charge.

Deila is making big calls, as he will do again for Wednesday's home game against Partick Thistle.

His side's struggle against Saints before Forrest finally got the opener, then Stefan Johansen sealed the points with a late penalty, did not make for comfortable viewing for him.

But the manager who demands such high standards is willing to take a little short-term pain for long-term gain.

"With Nir, he started on the bench because he played 90 minutes for Israel on Tuesday and had a long journey, too," he explained.

"I didn't want to take any chances with him because we are going to play so many more games in the next few weeks.

"As for Stokesy, he has been very positive lately, and been good in training.

"It was a tough game for him to play, but I wanted to see him up front again."

The break between games - thankfully, the last this season - may have been relatively short. But it is widely believed it is attacking players who can loose their edge quickest, while defenders don't suffer as badly.

That certainly appeared to be in evidence as another clean sheet for Craig Gordon was rarely threatened, and Deila nodded: "I think that is the case.

"They haven't played for 14 days, and it takes them a bit of time to get going again and their relationships going.

"So we need to be to be patient with them.

"In the end, we managed to break down St Mirren and get the goals we needed for the victory."

Concerns about how conducive the pitch at New St Mirren Park would be to the kind of football Deila wants to see his team deliver was another factor in his planning.

He is forthright in his view that a good artificial pitch is always preferable to a bad grass pitch, of which he believes this country cultivates and tolerates too many.

The object is to entertain. But if the ball is bouncing around erratically, it can become comedy rather than artistic.

Hence the reason Deila is delighted three of their next four games are at Celtic Park and Hampden - against Thistle, Kilmarnock next midweek and then Inverness in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

He is looking forward to seeing his players strut their stuff on stages worthy of their skill.

However, he is also confident that, as they proved again on Friday, even when conditions demand Plan B has to be adopted, physically and mentally, they have that in their locker.

He said: "Everything will not always go the way we want.

"We have to fight hard for the points, especially when we meet teams that have something to play for, like St Mirren.

"They were defending very deep and very bravely. It was difficult to break them down.

"We were patient, but we were not clinical enough."

Which made the quality of the opening goal from Forrest - following a good run in behind from Adam Matthews to meet an intelligent pass inside the full back by Scott Brown - all the more appreciated.

"It was a fantastic first goal," said Deila.

"After that, we controlled the game and I don't think they had a goal chance."