Kolo Toure made sure the party went with a bang, but it was short-lived.

The 36-year-old danced a jig as the Celtic squad serenaded the affable Ivorian in the Tynecastle dressing rooms but with Partick Thistle coming calling tomorrow evening, the Hoops are intent on celebrating the title by putting in a performance in keeping with the tone of this term.

Craig Gordon was an enthused participant as the champagne came out but there were no hangovers at Lennoxtown yesterday morning as a sober squad got back to work.

Read more: Exclusive: Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon believes the best is still to come this season

The Scotland internationalist has pledged his long-term future to Celtic by agreeing a new contract and he believes that yesterday’s title win signalled the formal start of an exciting new era at the club.

“It feels like the beginning of something special,” he said.

“We want to keep winning and keep developing. This is a team that can keep getting better because we are all hungry and we have a manager that is going to keep raising the bar. That can only keep pushing us forward and it just feels as though this is an exciting time to be at the football club.

“There is so much optimism and enthusiasm but it is married to an intensity and a thirst for improvement all the time. We have a manager who has been excellent, who has proved himself to be one of the top coaches in the game and that has been reflected in the standards we have set this season.”

There are a long list of achievements that Celtic can boast already this term and a number of long-standing records that could be knocked down by Rodgers side.

Yet, there remains an indifference to the achievements south of the border.

That Celtic held Manchester City to draws on both meetings in their Uefa Champions League this season, however, suggests that this is a team that has something about them.

Read more: Brendan Rodgers: Celtic and Rangers fans should learn to live together and forget all the hatred of the past

Greater examination in that environment can potentially give rise to further credibility – if they can get there.

“That is the aim and that is the aim every season,” said Gordon. “We have all had a taste of it and I think that would serve us well if we were to get back into the group stages because this season there were a number of us who had never featured at that level.

“But the challenge is getting through the qualifiers. Those are tough games, no-one needs to tell us that. So it is vital that while we allow ourselves to enjoy this season and appreciate just what we have done when the curtain comes down, there is a feeling among all of us that we want to keep going.

“We want to come back refreshed and ready for the big push that gets us into the group stages. It is the most important time of the season so it is imperative that we come back ready to hit the ground running.”

In that respect, Gordon is one of a number of players in Celtic’s stable who will have an elongated campaign due to international demands. There are six players who will head off on Scotland duty as Gordon Strachan’s side attempt to ignite their Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign with some kind of result from their June 10th meeting with England at Hampden.

Rodgers has already confirmed that he will give key players downtime after the Scottish Cup and league double header against Rangers, although Gordon may not entirely welcome it.

“I actually don’t mind one way or the other,” he said. “I still feel that I want to play in as many games as I can but I understand the argument that if it is beneficial to my body to take a breather then it might make sense.

Read more: Exclusive: Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon believes the best is still to come this season

“But right now we are all a part of a team that is winning games and it feels brilliant. I don’t know that I want to give that up, for any reason! But I will have a chat with the manager and see what his thoughts are and how I am feeling maybe a month down the line and we will take it from there. But if I play right the way through it really isn’t something that I would be complaining about. I spent a long time now playing and being in a team that are winning games and winning trophies is special.”

The big focus over the coming weeks for Celtic will be a return to the national stadium where Rangers stand in the way of progression to the William Hill Scottish Cup final.

The Parkhead side are just two games away from only the fourth Treble in their season. It was at this stage last season that the fragility of the squad was exposed in the semi-final against Rangers, something that Gordon doesn’t anticipate a repeat of.

“It is a totally different game,” he said. “The big difference between now and then is the amount of confidence that we are going into the tie with.

“That is not to say that we are over-confident. I think you can be sure that we will have the right approach to the game, that we will be fully concentrated and if we do that then we give ourselves a chance to win any match.”

There has been a number of players in the Celtic dressing room who are unrecognisable from that day, most notably Scott Brown.

And the Celtic captain’s performances and influence have been hailed by Gordon.

“Scott Brown has been the driving force in that midfield,” said the keeper. “He is so important to us and the way we want to play but it is not just on the park. It is in the dressing room where you see his influence, it is out on the training pitch where you see him lead by example.

“He is the first in, he demands the same standards from everyone else and having that in the dressing room is massive because he is a natural winner and that is what he expects from the players around him. People often look and see only a part of what he brings. But we see the bigger picture and he doesn’t always get the credit that he deserves.”