Derek McInnes admits setting Celtic ‘incentive’ for Hearts players after dropping points vs St Mirren

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Celtic’s defeat against Hearts at Tynecastle was far from ideal.

It certainly set a challenge for the Hoops, but few saw it leading to the shock resignation of Brendan Rodgers on Monday.

Dermot Desmond’s explosive statement aimed at the Northern Irishman left absolutely no doubt that the pair’s relationship had reached a complete breaking point.

Equally stunning was the return of Martin O’Neill on an interim basis, over 20 years after his first spell ended. Shaun Maloney was named as his assistant, stepping up temporarily from his role of player pathways manager.

And after a whirlwind few days, Celtic’s 4-0 win against Falkirk was a much-needed breath of positivity – especially given that Hearts dropped points in a 2-2 draw at St Mirren Park.

Derek McInnes on Celtic incentive after Hearts vs St Mirren

Derek McInnes’ side remain unbeaten and six points ahead of the Hoops – but the chase is on.

The thrashing of Falkirk was a sign of the ability which still exists in the Celtic team, with fringe players such as Johnny Kenny stepping up.

READ MORE: ‘Fine footballer’ gets special Martin O’Neill mention after Celtic win vs Falkirk

In Paisley however, it was less straightforward for Hearts, who were lucky not to lose after a controversial VAR decision which ruled out a potential third for the Saints.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the draw, McInnes revealed the target that he has set for his players in the early stages of the season.

He said: “I think the supporters see the team trying to win. I think there’s a real connection there, nobody’s giving it up.

“The incentive for us is there, we’ve got two home games coming up.

“The Saturday game finishes up the first round of fixtures, and we’d hoped to be top of the league.

“We’d made a wee target for ourselves – can we be top of the league after the first round of fixtures, and we wanted to try and do that with a win.

“Two home games against both Dundee teams coming up, it’s important we look forward to that, and we will do. We’ve got a brilliant backing, we’ve got a brilliant spirit about us.”

The next few weeks for Celtic and Hearts

Hearts can raise their lead to nine with a win against Dundee on Saturday.

This is due to the Hoops being preoccupied with their Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Rangers. The Edinburgh side were knocked out of that competition in their last meeting with St Mirren.

McInnes argued that a draw was a positive win for his side, but a home match where they are expected to win will be a true test of their mentality/

Celtic travel to Denmark to face Midtjylland in the Europa League before their next fixture at home against Kilmarnock, who McInnes left in the summer.