John Souttar spoke to the press after scoring in the 3-0 win over Celtic.

How important was that win and goal after a difficult season?

It’s been a frustrating season for me and the team. To get that goal was a big moment for myself and the team. It’s why you play football to score big goals like that and thankfully I did. 

You’ve had a lot of frustration so does that add to what it means to you?

Yeah it does. When you’ve been out for so long, you dream and it’s moments like that keep you going. That’s why you keep working hard - for days like that. 

It’s the first victory of the season against Celtic but the performance levels were impressive as well… 

It was a huge game for everybody in that dressing room. The manager said there will be a lot of changes in the summer so everyone had a point to prove - you saw that today. Whether it was starting or coming off the bench, 11 boys had a point to prove and they did that today. 

Can today be a glimpse of the future under the manager? 

You don’t want to look too much into the result but it’s obviously massive. We all know this season wasn’t good enough and next season has to be better. 

The atmosphere was brilliant today, how much did that help the players? 

Yeah definitely. I think the way we started today helped that - being on the front foot and aggressive. The crowd came with us. It shows that when we play like that they will come with us and when they do it’s massive. 

The manager’s backed you to return to the Scotland squad is that something you’re hopeful of? 

I will just wait and see what happens. If I do then it will be brilliant. 

Do you feel like you’re getting back to your best John? 

Yeah, slowly. It’s always difficult when you don’t have that pre-season behind you. I’ve done a lot of work in the background in the gym and with the staff to get back to a level where I can perform as best as I can. It was my third or fourth start since returning and I felt good out there. 

Can you describe the contrast to how you felt today to the game at Celtic Park? 

At the time when you asked how it felt, I said it’s about how you react. There will be moments like that in football, when you think it’s the end of the world but it’s important that you stay in the middle - whether it’s good or bad. There will be difficult moments and it’s about how you bounce back but it’s obviously a lot better than what happened at Parkhead.