St Johnstone 1-4 Celtic | Scottish Premier League match report

With a quarter of an hour left, this was another one of those afternoons for Tony Mowbray. The manager's aspirations of a Scottish Premier League title in his debut season at Celtic have been undermined to a large extent thus far by the team's inability to convert territorial dominance into goals. This time, though, Mowbray's men ultimately inflicted the sort of punishment which the manager is adamant has been threatening for weeks.

It is no exaggeration to suggest Celtic battered a 10-man St Johnstone in the second half here but, in a familiar scene, initially contrived to miss chances from positions few would think possible. Artur Boruc, the Celtic goalkeeper, will have had busier Sundays in front of his television.

Georgios Samaras, Marc-Antoine Fortuné and Pat McCourt ensured Mowbray this time had an end result. That, coupled with Rangers' home draw with Hearts on Saturday, meant the Ibrox team's lead at the summit of the Scottish Premier League had been cut to seven points.

"It is just another three points for us, every game is significant," said Mowbray afterwards. "I don't see this weekend as one where things have swung towards us."

Loovens had already played a part in St Johnstone's goal by hauling down Steven Milne inside the penalty area. Liam Craig did the rest from 12 yards in emphatic fashion.

Whether or not the dismissal of the hosts' Graham Gartland 20 seconds into the second period was pivotal, or Mowbray's half-time message had been more robust than ever, is unclear. What was striking is just how dominant Celtic were after Gartland departed having received a straight red card for dragging down the rampaging Samaras on the edge of the penalty area.

Aiden McGeady and Samaras missed glorious opportunities before Fortuné converted the most tricky of the lot with a fierce shot into the top corner of Graeme Smith's net. A Samaras volley from 12 yards edged the visitors in front before Smith spilled a McCourt shot, allowing Fortuné to slot home the rebound before McCourt supplied a goal of equal quality to Fortuné's first, again into the top corner from just inside the penalty area.

Celtic could have had more but, in the present climate, four goals and three points were welcome enough.

Man of the match Marc-Antoine Fortuné (Celtic)

Weather starts to take toll on Saturday’s fixtures

• Sheffield Wednesday v Peterborough called off
• Six of Saturday's Scottish Cup ties already postponed

Saturday's Football League action has been decimated as the freezing weather conditions tighten their grip on sport.

Three matches in the Championship have fallen foul of the cold spell and Leagues One and Two have been even harder hit, with only five of the 24 scheduled fixtures surviving inspections today.

Rugby and racing, too, have been badly affected, with no National Hunt racing in Britain set to take place until Tuesday at the earliest.

The Championship basement battle between Sheffield Wednesday and Peterborough is one of the biggest casualties, along with Reading's match at home to league leaders Newcastle, Watford v Sheffield United and Preston v Doncaster.

The pitch at Hillsborough is protected by undersoil heating but areas immediately surrounding the stadium have been covered in a thick blanket of snow, making roads and pavements in the vicinity treacherous.

Wednesday's chief executive, Nick Parker, said: "While we are still two days away from the fixture against Peterborough, the areas surrounding Hillsborough are covered in snow and ice. It is highly unlikely these areas could be cleared to the extent that would allow fans to come to the game and be guaranteed of their safety. Obviously the safety of our supporters is the club's main concern in these circumstances and we would not want to put fans in danger by encouraging them to use icy roads and pavements around Hillsborough."

Preston's match against Doncaster was called off after a lunchtime pitch inspection and earlier the League One matches between Brighton and Brentford, Charlton and Hartlepool and Oldham and Leyton Orient as well as the League Two game between Cheltenham and Hereford were also postponed.

A decision will be made tomorrow on whether Sunderland's Premier League home clash with Bolton on Saturday can go ahead. The city's Safety Advisory Group called an extraordinary meeting today to discuss the implications of the ongoing wintry conditions gripping much of the country.

The group, which comprises representatives of Sunderland City Council, police, ambulance and fire services as well as the club, will meet again tomorrow, with weather forecasts suggesting that conditions will worsen over the weekend.

Group chairman Ken Scott, of Sunderland City Council, said: "It is too soon at this stage to make a definitive decision regarding the status of the match. However another meeting will take place tomorrow after which we will make a further announcement. In the meantime, we will continue to monitor the weather conditions and associated safety issues."

In Scotland the early casualties include the fourth-round Scottish Cup ties between Ayr United and Brechin City, Forfar Athletic and St Johnstone, Raith Rovers and Airdrie United, Morton and Celtic and Kilmarnock and Falkirk.

The ties between Albion Rovers and Stirling Albion, Edinburgh City and Montrose, and Ross County and Inverurie Loco Works were all subject to 1pm pitch inspections this afternoon and failed.

In the Irn-Bru Scottish Second Division match between Cowdenbeath and Arbroath and the Third Division game between Berwick and Stranraer have also been called off.

Matches postponed because of weather

Coca-Cola Championship

Preston v Doncaster

Sheffield Wednesday v Peterborough

Watford v Sheffield United

Reading v Newcastle

League One

Brighton v Brentford

Bristol Rovers v Stockport

Carlisle v Millwall

Charlton v Hartlepool

Gillingham v Tranmere

Milton Keynes Dons v Swindon

Oldham v Leyton Orient

Southampton v Huddersfield

Yeovil v Colchester

League Two

Aldershot v Rochdale

Bury v Darlington

Cheltenham v Hereford

Crewe v Grimsby

Lincoln City v Accrington Stanley

Port Vale v Bradford

Rotherham v Bournemouth

Shrewsbury v Barnet

Torquay v Dagenham & Redbridge

Notts County v Macclesfield

Active Nation Scottish Cup fourth round

Albion Rovers v Stirling Albion

Ayr United v Brechin City

Edinburgh City v Montrose

Forfar Athletic v St Johnstone

Inverness CT v Motherwell

Kilmarnock v Falkirk

Livingston v Dundee

Morton v Celtic

Raith Rovers v Airdrie United

Ross County v Inverurie Loco Works

Irn-Bru Scottish Second Division

Cowdenbeath v Arbroath

Irn-Bru Scottish Third Division

Berwick v Stranraer

East Stirling v Queen's Park

The postponed matches list will be updated throughout the day