ANGE POSTECOGLOU has dedicated Celtic’s win over St Johnstone to ‘immortal’ Bertie Auld, and hopes that the late Lisbon Lion was looking down on his side as they booked their place in the League Cup Final at Hampden.

James Forrest’s second-half strike was enough to give Postecoglou’s men the win on a day when the players and supporters paid tribute to Auld, who died last Sunday.

Fans unveiled tributes to the Celtic great prior to the game and on the 67th minute, and Postecoglou said that the scenes were a reminder to his players about what is expected of them when they pull on the Celtic jersey.

“The tribute to Bertie is an important part of what this club is about,” Postecoglou said.

“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.

“But we also have to understand there’s some sadness there for the people who are closest to him and 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.

“That’s what I mean by setting standards. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been here for five months or 10 years.

“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.”

Postecoglou has now set his sights on lifting the first trophy of his reign at Celtic, saying it will be an important sign that things are on the right track.

“I’m determined to come back and win the trophy,” he said. “It’s not about me personally.

“I understood when I took this role that it’s the measure. Yes, I have a vision of how I want to play football and build a team. But 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.

“Now, I have an opportunity to do that in the final and that has to be our aim.

“It’s a big win for us but when you join this club, you don’t get allowances because you happen to be new.

“The expectations are that every year this club plays for silverware. The whole group must embrace that, myself included.

“Yes, we are rebuilding and we’re at the beginning of that. But we also have a responsibility to uphold the standards of this club.”

As well as being pleased for his squad as a collective, Postecoglou was especially delighted for matchwinner Forrest, who has barely featured under him since his summer arrival as he hwas struggled with various muscle problems.

“James has been through a lot,” he said. “He hasn’t had a great start to the season and we’ve had to be patient with him to get his body right.

“I knew once he was fit that he’s a quality, experienced player. He’s an international player and the way we play will suit him.

“It was great for him to come on. For us, part of the reason we’re now on a good run is that we can put players on who make a difference.

“Having that quality throughout the group is important. I’m pleased for James but the whole squad put a shift in today.”