PARTY TIME

Rodgers gives green light to players to let their hair down before getting back to business for the cup final

BRENDAN RODGERS last night gave his Celtic squad the green light for a Parkhead Premiership party before getting back down to business for the Scottish Cup final.

The Hoops boss soaked up the celebrations as his side lifted the league trophy in front of a full house in Glasgow’s East End.

Aberdeen’s win didn’t wreck the mood and Rodgers hailed his men for making it sevenin-a-row before allowing them time off to enjoy their achievement.

The Pakhead gaffer (inset) insisted the players will have a couple of days’ grace – but they will be switched back on for Saturday’s Hampden showdown with Motherwell.

Celts are chasing an historic Double Treble and Rodgers said: “I told the players to make sure they celebrate it over the next day or so, then we can get focused for next week.

“It is disappointing when you lose and that’s the first time we have lost here in the league in the two seasons I’ve been here.

“But you’ve got to put that to the side and look at the bigger picture. The guys have had an incredible season again, with extra scrutiny and extra expectation on them. So to go and win the league was absolutely great.

“Congratulations to Aberdeen, because they were in a fight to try and finish second. So it was a really good day for them. We looked tired and sluggish. To be fair, it was our 60th competitive game. But I thought the team with the greater need to win the game, won the game. “We didn’t play so well but over the bigger picture of the 38 games I thought we thoroughly deserved to win the title.” Rodgers admitted he had next week’s final in mind yesterday but he still sent out arguably his strongest starting line-up to debunk any daft conspiracy theories amid the race for second.

Craig Gordon is facing a Hampden sweat but Moussa Dembele came through almost an hour and striker Leigh Griffiths managed the last 30 minutes.

Rodgers said: “We did everything to actually try and win the game. So I think conspiracy in this case certainly wouldn’t apply.

“It’s a case of managing each game. I have to bear in mind that we have one fully fit striker as such in terms of Moussa and we need to make sure he was fit. Thankfully he’s come through the game.

“Thankfully Moussa has come through the game and we tried to some minutes into Leigh, because between the two of them they are our two options really.

“It is a case of balancing with the other players. There are two ways you can go. You could rest them all but then you don’t play a game for two weeks and you can be undercooked.

“I will sit with the staff and we will have a look during the week.”