"It was a great day," Martin O'Neill told the Celtic View. "The weather was kind to us, the performance was excellent and the scenes at the end spectacular. We won the title playing like true champions and the first-half performance was phenomenal. We want to be able to enjoy it for a day or two yet and take it all in.

"I never said at any point that it was easy for us. What I did say was that I was pleasantly surprised with the level of consistency that the team performed to. To win 30 games and drop just nine points all season is a fabulous achievement and the players have performed brilliantly. I never once said that it was easier than I thought it would be."

With a Glasgow derby Scottish Cup final looming, as well as the chance to create a new record by becoming the first team since the inception of the Premier League in 1975/76 to go through an entire season with dropping any points at home, the Hoops boss has reiterated that there is much to aim for.

After winning the title last year, Celtic lost their final two matches, and although by that time the results were immaterial, Martin O'Neill has promised that the Hoops will be vying to sustain their form right until the final day of the season,

He said: "The fans will be looking at the two games against Rangers that are coming up as the main focus of the rest of the season, but apart from that there is still much for us to play for.

"We have two home games left and there is no doubt that we want to win them to keep our 100% record. Last year after we won the Championship we lost a couple of matches and I have to say that there was plenty of disappointment in the dressing room after that.

"We have loads to go for still and between now and the Scottish Cup final. There will be plenty of the boys playing for match fitness and I hope that by the time we play Rangers at Hampden that we will more or less have everyone in the squad available for selection."

Before casting his eye further afield in order to see what players might bolster his current squad, the Irishman plans on tying up someone closer to home on a new deals.

"In the very near future I'll be sitting down with Stilian Petrov's agent to sort out a new deal," said the manager. "I had promised Stilian we would speak later in the season and I'm looking forward to him extending his time here. I was pleased for him because he missed out on the game in which we won the title last season, as did Chris Sutton, and that wasn't lost on either of them on Saturday afternoon.

"Chris was absolutely magnificent for us this season until he was injured on Boxing Day, he was in the form of his life, so I'm looking forward to him settling back into the team. Without a doubt he is a massive player for us and hopefully he'll be fully fit for the Cup Final. It's a case of crossing our fingers between now and then and hoping that nobody picks up any serious injuries."

There were just four news additions to the squad that won the Treble last season for this campaign, and while the manager will no doubt be looking to freshen things up over the summer he would like to keep the foundations of his team.

"It would be great to keep the nucleus of the team together for as long as possible," he said. "They have proved themselves here and, considering the size of the squad, I thought that their efforts in Europe this year deserved a lot of credit.

"We don't know yet how many qualifying rounds we will have to play this season to determine if we make it into the Champions League, and it could still be as many as two. We're definitely looking forward to it but at the minute it's nice just to allow everyone a few days to enjoy winning the league and reflect on what they have achieved.”

Martin O'Neill's five-star Celts sparked Paradise title party