THE highest compliment you can pay any Celtic striker is to compare them favourably to the greats of the past.

Leigh Griffiths is no Henrik Larsson. Not yet. He still has some way to go before equalling never mind eclipsing recent heroes such as John Hartson, Chris Sutton and, going back a bit further, Frank McAvennie and Charlie Nicholas.

But to score 40 goals in a season in which Celtic have been consistent rather than classy is quite outstanding. The feat is upgraded to remarkable when the fact Griffiths has led the line on his own from day one is taken into account.

What would this guy have scored had he been given someone to play alongside, as even Larsson needed, or if the squad had been stronger?

There will be some that will say that any Celtic centre-forward should be looking at 40 goals in this day and age. What nonsense. To reach such a tally is a wonderful achievement from a player who has put away his errant ways and replaced them with a breathless work ethic.

This report could have been all Griffiths who made history in the 53rd minutes of this match when he took a pass from Stefan Johansen, skipped past one, two and then three blue shirts before quite brilliantly dinking the ball home.

However, what more can be said about guy apart from that he must build on this and do it again next season. On the evidence of the last 18 months, Griffiths is not going to stop any time soon.

What a player he has become. Celtic now need to get a few more at least close to his level.

This was just like the last day of school except instead of the kids being allowed to bring in games they actually got a game.

And the fact they looked off the pace served as a reminder, if one were needed, Celtic have a ridiculous amount of players who have had so little proper game-time that it was asking a lot for them to pick up the pace of the Premiership.

This might not seem a problem at this stage of the season, but it does matter.

In what was Ronny Deila’s penultimate match as Celtic manager, played out on a lovely night at MacDiarmid Park which made you wonder why so many are against summer football, those previously known as un-used substitutes, that’s on the days when they actually got stripped, were offered a rare chance.

The lesser-spotted Scott Allan and Ryan Christie, making his first start for the club, got to have a go at St Johnstone. Both looked nervous and way too keen to make an impression on a support who hand on heart could not tell you if either player was any good.

Saidy Janko, who has been injured in all fairness, came in as well and all three were rusty as hell. Who could blame them? The blame lies elsewhere.

No more can this football club, which does not possess anything close to limitless funds, afford to have on their books so many players who are not even on the fringes of the match-day squad.

It is no good for the players themselves or indeed Celtic. Mark Wilson, the former defender turned pundit, recently admitted he wondered how Ronny Deila could organise training sessions for so many players on the field.

If the likes of Christie and Allan are not up to it, then they should be moved on or out on loan. Deila may not have came close to his aim of a 22-man squad made up of first-teamers and maybe one from the youth team, such a player Anthony Ralston was on the bench in Perth and got a run-out, but he was spot-on with his intention in terms of numbers he should have been working with.

The new manager’s first task will surely be to streamline and ensure he can look to anyone in the dressing room and just know they were ready to play either St Johnstone or Paris Saint Germain even if they had not started so many games.

What can be said with some certainty is that this game would have been last time we see Efe Ambrose in a Celtic jersey. He has won a lot of medals, made a few bob and almost as many mistakes.

And he had room for one more. What a boy.

Stefan Johansen and Emilio Izaguirre have respectively been name as the Player of the Year but their time is also coming to an end.

An interesting side-note from the evening was that Erik Sviatchenko wore the captain’s armband. Quite right, too. This guy could well be officer material.

So much has been happening at the moment that the impact the Dane has had on this team has alas been overlooked. Sviatchenko has looked the part and also looks as if he is enjoying himself.

Anyway, to the game itself and Christie provided the first piece of excitement on 15 minutes when his fleet of foot got him to the byline, his cross was met by Griffiths who could not quite get enough oomph onto his header which was kept out by Zander Clark.

The next moment of note came on 22 minutes when Logan Bailly in Celtic’s goal came for a ball and his momentum took the ball and himself outside the box. A free-kick was awarded and from the right-hand side, Celtic just about defended the set-piece.

There was little chance of any gut bursting by either side and so scoring chances were not a common thing.

Christie and Allan, who most eyes were on, did get into it more in the second-half. Both have talent – although not as much as Griffiths who loved his goal when it came eight minutes after the break.

But within minutes, St Johnstone drew were level. Johansen dallied at the edge of the box, Steven MacLean robbed him and was in no mood to pass up such a gift.

And then with 13 minutes left, the always entertaining Ambrose successfully challenged his own goalkeeper Bailly, forcing him to drop the ball at the feet of Saints sub Graham Cummins. Only Efe could do that.

It’s a good job Deila has had Griffiths to call on.