Martin O'Neill and his Celtic players are having difficulty shaking off the disappointment of their UEFA Cup final defeat in time to turn their attention to the crucial last-day deciders.

"We have to deal with massive weariness and disappointment," O'Neill said. "If I was Kilmarnock's manager Jim Jefferies I would be delighted right now." The Irishman did manage to insist: "We can't expect any favours elsewhere and we have to look after ourselves which means firstly trying to beat Kilmarnock and then hopefully scoring a few goals.

"If we win we will have 97 points and if that's not good enough there's not much we can do about it.

"Whatever happens, this season has been unforgettable. Generally you define success by winning something but this has been a very big season for Celtic however things turn out."

That Seville disappointment hovers over Celtic like a giant black cloud and O'Neill remains fiercely critical of their UEFA Cup final opponents.

"I have not watched it all again but I have seen how long the Porto players took to get on with it after their goals and I thought at one stage they had all gone into the centre of town. You can celebrate more or less any way you like but you have to get back into the game before midnight."

O'Neill could manage a wry smile but he added pointedly: "I honestly feel we came out of it all with more honour in defeat than Porto earned in victory."

While Celtic have been under the European spotlight, Rangers have been quietly going about their business on home soil and their manager Alex McLeish declared: "There will be no hiding place at Ibrox or Rugby Park. The players are the ones who have to do it and now they have to deliver for Rangers.

"It's a big advantage being at home but no one here is talking about how many goals need to be scored because that would be disrespectful to Dunfermline."

Meanwhile, Falkirk's ambitions were thwarted yesterday when the Scottish Premier League refused them promotion. The First Division champions' plan to pay their games at Airdrie United's Excelsior Stadium next season, while a new ground is built was rejected, thereby allowing Terry Butcher's Motherwell to escape relegation through red tape for the fifth time.