Celtic's 'special' moment, the return of James Forrest and honouring Bertie Auld - Ange Postecoglou's press conference points

Yet it wasn't one of the 'New Three Amigos' who came up trumps.

Instead, it was old bhoy James Forrest who performed the super-sub trick on St Johnstone as he fired Celtic into the League Cup final.

The 30-year-old - who is celebrating his 11th year at the club - produced another Hampden high as he hit the decisive goal in the 73rd minute just four minutes after taking to the field as Ange Postecoglou's new look Celtic deservedly marched into the December showpiece at the expense of Callum Davidson's Saints.

The defeat ended a remarkable 11-game unbeaten run in cup football for St Johnstone, which saw them win both last season's domestic cup competitions.

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The Aussie will now look to plunder his first silverware in Scotland at the first attempt just five months after taking over the managerial reins from Neil Lennon.

Anthony Haggerty analyses the key points from the presser in the aftermath of Celtic's semi-final victory.

On beating St Johnstone and reaching the League Cup final

"St Johnstone made it a really challenging game but I thought we deserved it.

"They make it hard for any opposition and if you steer away from your own game plan then you fall into the trap of making it a contest which favours them.

"We had to be disciplined and we did not get frustrated for the most part and we were patient.

"I told the players at half-time that we were gaining momentum and dominance and that the scoreline did not reflect that.

"I told them the time would come where eventually they would tire or switch off.

"That is a credit to the players as there is natural anxiety when you are dominating the ball and not creating as much as you should.

"Overall I thought we stuck to the game plan very well.

"The League Cup final will be great and this is the stage out supporters want to see us at playing off for trophies every year and we will get that opportunity now.

"It's great, I am super pleased for the players and the staff but especially for our supporters who made it a fantastic atmosphere.

"They (the Celtic fans) have missed coming here and they have missed us being here and I thought it was really special."

The Celtic manager knew exactly much it meant to the club's supporters to reach the League Cup final. Whilst the swashbuckling and entertaining style the team have produced in spells this season may have deserted them at the national stadium, the bottom line in the semi-finals is the end result and getting the job done. Ange's team are now capable of mixing it up and going toe-to-toe with any side in the country no matter what tactics they employ. The fact that Celtic had to be patient and left it late and never at any stage lose their own shape or discipline is testament to the way the Aussie has set them up to approach big games. To defeat the holders who were on an 11-game unbeaten streak in cup competitions is no mean feat. It also showed Ange that his men had the bottle, the stomach and the desire to win big games as this was Celtic's biggest test of the season so far despite many of the starting eleven not having experienced the rarified atmosphere of Hampden before.

On winning trophies

“The expectations are that every year this club plays for silverware.

"The whole group must embrace that, myself included.

"This club expect to be in finals and playing off for trophies.

“The players can’t think because we’re a new group, it’s OK to make a semi-final or not win silverware.

"We have to set these standards from the beginning.

The players are starting to get real belief in the way we want to play and every victory we have accelerates that a little bit.

"We have Bayer Leverkusen in the next game and the process is to recover and focus on that.

"We have to keep building belief as that doesn't stop and that is the levels we are expected to perform at.

"The players are embracing that but they know what it means to represent this football club.

“The players rose to that challenge today. I’m determined to come back and win the trophy.

“Yes, I have a vision of how I want to play football and build a team.

“Ultimately I knew the measure would be how quickly I can bring success to Celtic.

“I’m not going to get two or three years to do that. I came here to try and get this club back to where it should be.”

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This is really just the start of Ange putting his stamp on the entire club. The Aussie speaks with total authority and it is evident that his players listen. Reaching finals and competing for silverware is a prerequisite for any Celtic team. It is in the club's DNA. In five short months, it has already been sown into the very fibre and fabric of Ange Postecoglou. Ange is a fantastic orator and he is fast approaching statesmanlike status in his public utterings. The faithful are lapping it all up. It was a huge win in the context of their season and it was inspired by a manager who after all in his first mic'd up training session vowed only to celebrate when the team had won. Now he is determined to win the trophy and nothing less than success will do for him on Celtic's return to Hampden. The 56-year-old will still feel that nothing has been achieved yet and he will continue to keep his players' feet on the ground. His immediate reaction shows that he wasn't going to bask in any glory of the semi-final as he turned his focus of attention to the Bayer Leverkusen Europa League game. Ange is under no illusion as to the size of the task at hand. He realises the levels that need to be reached and the heights that need to be scaled in order to make Celtic successful again. Ange is a man on a mission and it most certainly isn't an impossible one.

On James Forrest return

“James has been through a lot. I’m pleased for James but the whole squad put a shift in today.

"We've been patient with James and he's been patient with himself because he's had a real disruptive start to the season, but he's a quality, experienced player and I knew, once he was fit, the way we play would suit him.

"I knew once he felt good about his own body he would be raring to go and he could contribute and he is an experienced, high-quality player.

"I guess it shows our progression a little bit as well that we can throw on a player like James.

"We really struggled at the start of the year with having depth in those areas, so I'm pleased for him and all the players."

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What a weapon Ange now has at his disposal with the return of the prodigal son - James Forrest. Forrest may not be the most loved or most popular player at the club but he is certainly the most decorated. What an 11-year spell it has been for the wide-man. The experience of Forrest steered Celtic through a tricky semi-final tie and he came up with the goods at the national stadium again for Celtic when they needed it most. How Celtic have badly missed Forrest pulling up trees down the right-hand side for them.

On Bertie Auld tribute

“The tribute to Bertie is an important part of what this club is about.

“The players wore the 10 on their shorts and I said to them after the game, we’re celebrating an immortal of this football club and the Scottish game.

“We also have to understand there’s some sadness there for the people who love him are were closest to him and that is his family.

“I’m hoping after that 90 minutes maybe they had a bit of a smile on their face and felt better for a moment.

“We thought about the great man and hopefully he was looking on from above. These things are important.

“We’re putting on a shirt that represents something, not just the football club, but the people who helped build Celtic - and Bertie was certainly one of them."

Ange and the Celtic players were well aware of the significance of winning this match for Bertie Auld. How fitting was it then that Celtic defeated St Johnstone 1-0 nearly 52 years on from when the midfielder scored the winning goal in the 1969 League Cup final against the same opposition? It would have been very easy for Celtic to play the occasion and not the game and to let their emotion get the better of them. The banners and the pyrotechnic displays were absolutely terrific. Whilst the performance may have failed to entertain a la Bertie's style per see, all that matters is that Celtic got the job done. That end result was the perfect tribute to Bertie Auld and his family.