GLASGOW (AFP) - Gordon Strachan has admitted he is desperate to stop Celtic's blundering performances before they wreck their Scottish Premier League title ambitions.

The Parkhead side beat Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2-1 on Wednesday to stay four points behind league leaders Rangers, who hammered Hearts 4-0 at Tynecastle on the same night.

However, Celtic were forced to hang on for the three points after a misplaced pass from Scott Brown allowed Caley to close the gap with 20 minutes remaining.

Similar howlers from Strachan's side this season have cost them points and although the manager admits he would love to cut them out he says he does not know how.

"If someone could come onto the training field and show me how to stop those kind of mistakes then I'd be delighted," said Strachan.

"It was just a pass that you don't expect players to make but we've all made mistakes in life.

"Gary Caldwell made one against Barcelona last week, Artur Boruc threw two in at Easter Road and he's one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

"That happens and we were lucky we had enough goals against Caley that it didn't cost us."

Celtic had looked to be coasting after Australian striker Scott McDonald fired them into the lead on the stroke of half time and Greek striker Georgios Samaras doubled their advantage after the break.

However, after Caley's Romanian striker Marius Niculae latched on to Brown's poor pass to score for the visitors in the 70th minute, the Celtic fans began to fear more points were about to be dropped.

And although Strachan confessed he too began to worry, he was relatively happy with his players' overall performance.

"Earlier in the season we lost 3-2 to Caley up in Inverness after being two goals in the lead and you start to think the same thing is going to happen," he said.

"Up until we lost the goal we were playing good stuff and I'd liked what I'd seen.

"We were moving the ball about well, avoiding long balls, getting the ball to the striker's feet.

"But when you lose a silly goal there's always the chance something strange can happen again."

Celtic's opener came in the 45th minute when McDonald met Japanese international Shunsuke Nakamura's free-kick to prod the ball home from six-yards for his 25th goal of the season.

It was 2-0 in the 61st minute when Aiden McGeady crossed from the left for Samaras at the front post to head into the top corner.

But in the 70th minute Caley pulled one back.

A poor pass from Celtic midfielder Brown allowed Niculae to go in on goal and he clinically slotted the ball into the corner of the net beyond Boruc.

Strachan was delighted with the form of McDonald who is now on target to score 30 goals in his first season with Celtic after signing for 700,000 pounds from Motherwell last summer.

"We've very pleased with Scott," said Strachan.

"He benefits from getting a good supply of balls into dangerous areas but he makes goals for himself and for others as well so we're very happy with him."