MICK McCarthy last night urged Celtic's tired title-chasers to match the Class of '88 and capture the championship.

The former Celt insists that Wim Jansen's players will have no excuses if they fail to beat St Johnstone on Saturday and lose the championship. Celtic's failure to kill off the league race, when they squandered a one-goal lead at Dunfermline, again raised question marks over their ability to take the final step to glory.

It has been suggested on numerous occasions that Wim Jansen's side are jaded, and their inability to see out the final minutes at East End Park seemed to back the argument. McCarthy, however, has no time for such chat.

The double-winning Celtic side for which he starred made a habit of scoring late winners in a dream centenary season. With just 90 minutes of the campaign to go, he said: ''Players will be tired, of course they will. That happens when you play over 50 games a season, but it shouldn't be an issue.

''Put it this way, if I was Celtic manager this week and we had the chance of winning the league in front of 50,000 fans at home and one of my team told me he was tired, I'd chew his ears off. But players are tired all the time. I don't think I ever played a game after the age of 24 when I felt fully 100%.

''After the season is over and the lads are enjoying a break, they may feel fatigued, but it should not come into the equation at this moment. There is too much at stake and everyone should be ready for one last effort.

''Celtic teams have fought to the very end throughout the club's history and certainly did when I was a player at Parkhead. The team simply cannot afford to let tiredness become a factor.''

McCarthy is a staunch Celtic fan after spending two years at Parkhead and admits he is desperate to see his old club secure the flag for the first time in a decade. Celtic must overcome unbearable nerves and the aforementioned tiredness to grab the win required against St Johnstone, but McCarthy insists these problems should be forgotten due to the nature of what is stake.

''I'd certainly rather be in Celtic's shoes rather than Rangers,'' he said. ''St Johnstone won't be an easy team to beat, but from my experience in Scotland it's an easier task than Rangers face at Dundee United.

''Celtic should concentrate on the positive. It is easy to point out negative issues and you can spend all day doing it.

''However, you must be confident. Celtic will have 50,000 fans on their side and the chance to win the title on their own patch.

''You cannot ask for any more. It's being said St Johnstone will offer even tougher opposition than usual because they're chasing a UEFA Cup place. But that could help Celtic because pressure will be on Saints players, too.

''Lets be honest, everything is in Celtic's favour and they have a marvellous opportunity to gain success. I, for one, sincerely hope they do.''

Meantime, St Johnstone are set to gear up their preparations for the weekend with a leisurely game of golf. The McDiarmid Park players will swap football boots for golf spikes today in an attempt to calm their frayed nerves.

Manager Paul Sturrock has booked a day at a local club to help take their minds off the match. He said: ''We have arranged a golf outing for all of the players, which should relax them a bit.

''This is a massive game for both of the clubs involved because there is so much at stake for each of us. It is necessary in such a situation that we do something to help our players release their inevitable nervous tension.

''There is no point worrying too much about the game this weekend, so this should be a worthwhile exercise. I have told the players that Saturday is not going to come any quicker if they keep thinking about it.

''Apart from the golf, we will be preparing for this match in exactly the same way as we have done for our 35 other league games this season.''

Sturrock also revealed that he has now made offers of new deals to all of his side's out-of-contract players. Speculation has surrounded the future of first-team regulars Alan Kernaghan, Danny Griffin, Paul Kane, Attila Sekerlioglu and Leigh Jenkinson.

He added: ''Every one of the players whose contracts expire have been approached. We are now waiting for them to come back to us with their response.''

qRANGERS are hoping for a 20,000 sell-out crowd at Ibrox celebrating 10-in-a-row - as the action unfolds in Dundee.

Tickets for the live beam-back from Saturday's match against Dundee United at Tannadice go on sale at 10am today and club officials are expecting a huge rush for briefs. Celtic's slip at Dunfermline has turned the thought of a meaningless clash in Tayside into a potentially historic day.

Rangers have agreed to provide the opposition for Colin Hendry's testimonial match at Blackburn, while Celtic have agreed to meet Bolton at the Reebok Stadium on August 4 in honour of former Rangers full-back Jimmy Phillips.