We thought it was all over, and it is now. Celtic have proven themselves to be the best in the country yet again and have wrapped up a fifth consecutive league title.

With two games left to go nobody can reach their points total, their goal difference is superior to the rest of the top six combined and they boast the Player of the Year and the Young Player of the Year in their ranks.

The points that sealed the title came in a win against their nearest rivals and the player who stole the show with two goals, Patrick Roberts, is one who will definitely be at the club next season.

The summer will bring change in the shape of a new manager and a likely reshuffle of the squad but all of the above underlines the fact that Celtic will be favourites for six-in-a-row and it's up to others to bring a challenge.

In that context, it was interesting to note Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes' comments after the match.

Having led the Dons to the runners-up spot for the second successive season, McInnes said before the match that Celtic knew they had been pushed this season. Now, his planning to take that challenge into a third year comes into focus and Sunday saw him make the case for proper backing.

"It is important we strive for that improvement," he said. "To sustain a league challenge we need good players to add to the ones we have got.

"We have a team of value on the pitch and a good togetherness. That can take you a long way as long as you keep adding to the quality.

"Hopefully, we get the backing and the opportunity to just that.

"The directors need to get it. We all need to get it."

McInnes knows that, like the rest of Scottish football, he's more likely to be encouraged to spend smart than allowed to spend big but with Celtic expected to retool for a new campaign he'll have to find that added quality to avoid being left behind. Hearts will no doubt continue to build under Robbie Neilson and Craig Levein while Rangers aim to do better than even the previous Championship winners' third-place top-flight finish so the Dons can't stand still and expect to easily be the best of the rest.

The Aberdeen board will know that they have a good base to build on as they finalise the budget for next season. The team could yet beat last season's points tally and might even end up with a better home record than champions Celtic.

It's on the road that the damage to their title bid was done and the manager has been with his players long enough to know that he needs a better quality and more options to improve that record.

McInnes can point to the recruitment of Graeme Shinnie, Kenny McLean, and Shay Logan as examples of where he's found real value over the last couple of years and while there have been disappointing signings they have tended to be in the loan market.

An early start in Europe means Aberdeen will look to do their business as quickly as possible. How the board respond to McInnes' plea will be key to the club's ambitions for next season and will have a direct effect on how the battle at the top plays out.

It was a day Kilmarnock fans had feared and come to expect as their spot in the Premiership play-off final was confirmed following a demoralising 2-0 defeat to Partick Thistle, their 10th home league loss of the campaign.

Having launched a special ticket deal to boost the attendance for the crucial clash at Rugby Park, a crowd of 5,729 saw the hosts trail to a strike from distance from Steven Lawless before another goal from Kris Doolan just after the hour mark.

At the interval club legends Garry Hay, James Fowler and Ray Montgomerie entered the field to honour Alan Robertson, the club's U20s head coach whose near 45-year association with the Ayrshire side came to an end at the weekend. Robertson, who remains Kilmarnock's record appearance holder on 607 matches, has been responsible from bringing the likes of Hay, Fowler, Steven Naismith, Kris Boyd and Greg Kiltie through the youth system.

That half-time quartet can boast over 1,500 appearances for the club and they would no doubt have been left shocked by the lack of invention and heart on display from Killie, who fielded the same outfield players which beat Hamilton 4-0 last week. Lee Clark, who remained steadfast in his assertion that they have enough to retain their top flight status, saw his team outplayed and outfought by Alan Archibald's Jags in a must-win match for both sides.

While Thistle can look forward to another season in the Premiership, Killie have much work to do to be mentally and physically ready to face either Hibernian or Falkirk over two legs. Tuesday sees the pair meet at Easter Road for the first leg of their semi-final encounter with Clark's men due to face Dundee 24 hours later. By the time Killie see out their final game of the regular season against already relegated Dundee United, they will know the identity of their play-off opponents.

In the past week Clark's men have shown they can swing from sublime to sorry and they now have seven days to prepare themselves for the ultimate test of their mettle. This is the time for fear to be banished not embraced.