CELTIC have invited their supporters to contribute to a food bank collection next week to mark the centenary of the death of their founding father, Brother Walfrid.

But there was no charity on show last night when near neighbours Partick Thistle came calling in search of a point or points to sustain them in the battle against the play-offs.

Instead, it was clinical business as usual from the hungry league leaders, who won 2-0 with goals from Kris Commons and Stefan Johansen while refusing to give up any morsel as they moved a step closer to devouring all the prizes on offer.

The appetiser has already been served up in the form of the League Cup.

The Scottish Cup is simmering away nicely, 180 minutes away from being plated up.

And the main course, the SPFL title, is now looking more and more like the speciality of the house as it prepares to come to Paradise for the fourth year in a row.

Deila had intimated he is a fan of Thistle's style, the kind of football he would rather compete against than the more one-dimensional version which he encounters all-too often.

The Norwegian is also a big fan of playing at Celtic Park, not just become it brings home comforts, but because he knows the ground staff will, almost without fail, produce a playing surface which allows his side to deliver the kind of quick-passing, high tempo football which is his hallmark.

So, the Glasgow Derby should always be a fixture which gets his juices flowing, even when it is squeezed in as part of an ultra-hectic schedule of games.

But, it could only be the perfect Wednesday if his side could add another three points to the tally which has already propelled them clear in the race to the SPFL finishing line.

Deila wears the air of confidence which sits easily only on a manager who completely trusts his players.

Certainly, his defence gives him cause for calm assurance, having conceded just 14 goals in the league as they prepare to head into the final cycle of matches.

In the 12 league games played since the turn of the year, Craig Gordon, Virgil van Dijk and Co. have become even more frugal, allowing only two shots to beat them.

Both were scored by St Johnstone, one as they went down 2-1 to the Hoops at Perth, the other a spectacular effort by Danny Swanson which was good enough to give them all three points from their game against the champions at Parkhead on March 4.

On reflection, that shock appears to have redoubled Celtic's determination to get four-in-a-row in the bag as soon as possible.

There is no denying Deila's side is more resolute and dominant than at any stage in the season, as their uncompromising charge towards a Treble underlines.

Certainly, even without the inspirational Scott Brown as he served a one-game suspension, they proved much too good for the Jags, who had travelled across the city still on a high from earning a draw at Aberdeen at the weekend.

Wins for Motherwell and Ross County on Tuesday took some of the joy out of that result as Thistle could still become embroiled in the dog-fight to avoid the play-off place.

But it is not in games against Celtic their fate will be decided, but in the matches against those directly around them, starting on Saturday when Motherwell go to Firhill.

Fortunately for Alan Archibald, none of these clubs will have anything like the ability to make significant changes the way Deila does with Celtic.

From Friday night's win over St Mirren, Anthony Stokes and James Forrest joined Brown in dropping out, with John Guidetti, Nir Bitton and Gary Mackay-Steven stepping up from the bench.

The plan was to blow Thistle away from the first blast of Willie Collum's whistle. And this injection of fresh legs had an immediate effect.

Celtic could - and should - have been four up inside the opening dozen minutes.

That they were not was ostensibly down to the omnipotence of Conrad Balatoni.

The big defender was there to block goal-bound efforts from Johansen, Guidetti and Mackay-Steven.

And all of this was after Virgil van Dijk had flicked a Mackay-Steven pass onto the crossbar inside the opening 60 seconds.

Yet, had it not been for an excellent diving save by Gordon from an acrobatic Kallum Higginbotham volley, the Hoops could have been behind.

In fairness to Thistle, when they did get the chance to get forward, they did so in numbers, and sub Gary Fraser also pulled out a top-class save from Gordon in the dying minutes.

But, in the main, Celtic could have offset the lack of paying punters by levying a congestion charge in the visitors' penalty area.

It was no great surprise, therefore, it was the scene of the crime for the opening goal a minute before half time.

Armstrong burst into the area on the back of a 1-2 with Guidetti. James Craigen lunged at the midfielder from behind, and brought him down.

The ref pointed to the spot, then to the tunnel as the Thistle man was sent off.

There was no bickering over who was taking the penalty this time. Commons took control and rammed his spot-kick in at Scott Fox's bottom left-hand corner.

Deila would have purred at the quick interplay in the build up, and doubly-delighted when an even better move from the left wing brought the second goal.

Again, Guidetti was heavily involved, taking a back heel from captain-for-the-night Johansen and playing him in to shoot across the keeper and home at the far post.

That made it a dozen goals without reply against Thistle this season, and it could have been worse had Johansen and subs Forrest and Griffiths not passed up gilt-edged chances.

Though it was not an hour-and-a-half to savour for the Hoops fans, it satisfied their appetite for the victory which keeps them seven points clear with eight games to go.