Much of the build-up ahead of the trip to the New Falkirk Stadium had focused on the recent form of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League champions.

In particular, manager Gordon Strachan had been questioned over his use of the word "fantastic" to describe some of his players in last week's 1-0 win over Kilmarnock at Parkhead.

Celtic were anything but fantastic against the Bairns yesterday but after the 25-year-old Australia international headed home a Shunsuke Nakamura cross in the third minute of first-half injury time, they had done enough to reduce the gap between the Hoops and SPL leaders Rangers back to four points.

A defiant McDonald said: "Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but we were bamboozled by the way people said we didn't play well last week.

"We dominated and had 20-odd shots on goal.

"Their keeper had a great game but on another day we could have had four or five goals and then everyone would have been ranting and raving and saying what a great performance it was.

"But once again it was three points and if we are not playing, well as some people are saying, then it's good to get three points instead of playing well and not getting anything."

The former Motherwell striker admitted there was an element of fortune in their win over John Hughes' men.

He said: "It must have been a blow for them to go in at half-time a goal down after how well they played.

"All credit to them, they probably feel they deserved something and rightly so, they got in our faces and didn't let us play.

"It was difficult in the conditions and they dealt with them better so we were delighted to get all three points."

Hughes confirmed Dean Holden suffered a broken leg after a heavy tackle by Celtic skipper Stephen McManus.

But the Bairns boss did not point the finger at the Scotland defender.

He said: "It is broken, definitely one of them, the tibia or the fibula, and it could be both of them.

"It looks like he is going to be out for a long, long time but he'll come back from it, he's a winner.

"I said last week that Celtic have two geniuses in Aiden McGeady and Shunsuke Nakamura but the player I look up to is Stephen McManus for the way he conducts himself and the way he wears the armband.

"He was entitled to go for the ball and it was unfortunate that Dean came off on the wrong end of it."