Celtic’s drive towards domestic perfection remains on course after the last round of SPFL fixtures, albeit when dropping two points for only the fourth time this campaign away to Ross County.

However, as Sunday proved, even when it appears everything is in hand and there is no obvious threat to that unbeaten, unblemished record, it wouldn’t take much to throw a rather substantial spanner in the works.

All it needs is one fluke goal, or one dubious call from a referee or an official, and all that effort and hard work could count for nothing. Of course, a loss could have happened at any time and any place.

But after a season of being unbeaten domestically in all competitions, and with a Treble very much in their sights, every game is more meaningful, every 90 minutes more full of potential hazards.

Up in Dingwall, there was never any threat to Celtic losing. However, we all saw just how the entire dynamic and atmosphere around the game changes because of that one call, and the awarding of a penalty that, regardless of the circumstances, never should have been.

Imagine if that had been at 0-0 with a few minutes to go. What would the consequences have been then?

Don Robertson got it wrong, but, he was conned. I know most of the referees, and they are a very approachable, dedicated and professional bunch, who occasionally make mistakes.

When something like this happens, the conspiracy theorists have a field day. But referees and their assistants don’t sit around plotting which team they are going to try and trip up, or, which set of fans they can turn against them.

From my experience, following an incident like this, no-one is as retrospective, or critical or as gutted, as the officials involved.

However, unlike the retrospective punishments that can be levelled at players for simulation, there is no mechanism to undo wrongs a referee could have made during a game.

So, to say something I’ve advocated for I don’t know how long, why not take all risk of such mistakes out of the equation by employing VAR – or video assistant referee – technology.

We’ve already seen it used in the international between France and Spain a few weeks back when a couple of incorrect decisions were overturned.

Compare what we saw at the weekend as well to the statistics around the technology in the Bundesliga where 80 per cent of dubious decisions are overturned.

There would be a cost implication for the SPFL in terms of TV coverage and facilities. But you have to be seen to do the right thing if only to eliminate the effect of players who are determined to do the wrong thing.

We all saw what happened with Alex Schalk, or at least commentators did, fans did and viewers sitting at home did. The only people who didn’t get the chance to view the incident again was the referee – the individual it affected the most.

I don’t want to take away the crucial calls from referees. But surely in this day an age he deserves all the assistance we can give him?

There are only four areas of intervention; goal scoring or offside calls; straight red cards; mistaken identity and, of course, on the awarding of penalties. Far making the game stop-start, it would probably stop major rows and fall-outs starting.

Celtic were not too hard done to by the penalty award. However, it does show how things are balanced on a knife edge.

The same could be said about Sunday’s Old Firm Scottish Cup semi-final. I still believe Celtic will begin as favourites, and that, despite the Pedro Caixinha ‘bounce’ and the draw earned a few weeks ago in the league, Rangers face a massive task to go one better this time around.

A year ago, Rangers played easily their best football of the season to win a dramatic semi-final against Celtic, on penalties, so, shocks and the unexpected can occur.

However, that win seems a very long time ago, and much has changed at both clubs. The progression many expected from Rangers just didn’t developed, indeed, it soon evaporated, unlike what has gone on across the city.

Yes, Celtic – as with 12 months ago – are the champions. But the manner in which they have replicated that achievement under Brendan Rodgers is night and day in comparison to how Ronny Deila and his team went about things.

Celtic have so much to lose, Rangers in many ways, so much to gain; an unbeaten domestic season, a treble in Brendan Rogers first year, the legend of being ‘invincibles’ against a result that would instantly turn Caixinha in to a hero, a result that would give Rangers a crack at making this a winning season, and bragging rights in to next season.

When you break it down like that, it looks beautifully poised – and that is without adding in the fear factor and unpredictability that is so often associated with these matches.

I hope the outcome is decided on the pitch, and not with yet another post-mortem based around dubious calls or controversial decisions. We just don’t need that.