New St Mirren manager Oran Kearney last night told the Paisley side that they have set the standard for every other game after their display against Celtic.

Brendan Rodgers' side were held to a 0-0 draw with Kearney delighted with his side.

"I thought our attitude, energy levels and endeavour were superb," he said. "Those are qualities that don’t cost you anything in football."

And Kearney reserved particular mention for Anton Ferdinand who was rushed into his St Mirren debut.

"I was a little bit surprised with how long we got out of Anton Ferdinand," admitted Kearney. "He only had a bit-part pre-season, but he has trained really well with us throughout the week.

"He hasn’t played a huge amount of football, but we were adamant that we had to get him into the team for this game.

"He showed flashes of what he’s all about. You could see his anticipation and how well he reads the game.

"He is a real organiser and you could see his experience with the way he helped all the other players around him.

"He was a real calming influence for us – worth his weight in gold.

"The players have shown their hand now. This is the standard they have set for themselves.

"It can sometimes take three or four weeks for a new group to really show their level and show what they can do.

"But they have gone and earned a point against the champions. That is the expectation now and the key thing is that we have to maintain this standard in the forthcoming weeks.

"I will do my bit, but the players also have to demand it from themselves."