JOHN KENNEDY is still dreaming of being Celtic manager, but knows his time may not be now with Eddie Howe’s confirmation as the new boss of the club seemingly moving closer.

Interim manager Kennedy watched his team brush Falkirk aside by three goals to nil last night to reach the fourth round of the Scottish Cup, and he said that if it does turn out to be his last game in charge, he has been grateful for the opportunity.

And when asked if managing Celtic permanently will still be his ultimate goal some day in the future, Kennedy said: “Yes, it will be. But I’ve never been in a rush.

“I finished playing a long time ago and I’ve been working at things. As long as the environment is good…I have had opportunities to go and do my own thing but I felt I was in a good place here with good people.”

When asked if he expected news on a new manager this week amid reports that Howe is ready to commit to Celtic, and whether he will be part of that set-up, Kennedy said: “I don’t know. There has been a lot of talk. But the way the club have operated, they have been very calm.

“They do their business behind the scenes and I have been delighted with the way things have been done.

“I have enjoyed it. It has been good. I will do what’s right for the club. It’s a big club and you cannot take anything for granted.

“I know what I do here and what I can offer.”

Falkirk co-manager Lee Miller wasn’t too downbeat after his side’s defeat despite the scoreline, with the quest for promotion to the Championship rather higher up his list of priorities.

"It was always going to be a tough ask for us to compete with them for 90 minutes,” Miller said. “I’m really proud of the way the boys applied themselves. I thought we defended really well.

"The fighting spirit was there for all to see. It's a great experience for them. Everybody worked hard right until the final whistle.

“We're not going to be judged on this, our bread and butter is the league."