Celtic might have opened the scoring after a quarter-of-an-hour when Eamon McAllister found himself one-on-one with Ports 'keeper Neil Armstrong only to lob the ball over the bar.

However, the deadlock was broken on 36 minutes in the visitors favour when a cross from the left came off the head of Celtic defender Brendan Shannon and past his own 'keeper.

It was almost 2-0 on 55 minutes when Kevin Braniff laid the ball off for Gary McCutcheon only for the Scot to send the ball two yards the wrong side of the target.

Celtic almost levelled with 11 minutes remaining only for Liam Watson's header to be well saved by Neil Armstrong but the Ports clinched the game - and the title - ten minutes later when Tim Mouncey beat the offside trap to square for McCutcheon to finish clinically.

The Hoops get a second bite of the promotion cherry, though, with a two-legged play-off against Premiership bottom club Dungannon Swifts. They host the Swifts at Suffolk Road on Tuesday night with the return at Stangmore Park on Friday (both games kick-off 7:45pm).