INTERIM Celtic boss John Kennedy admits that he was 'never fully expecting' to be handed the reins of the Parkhead club after Neil Lennon resigned earlier this week.

With the club's title bid in tatters, Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Ross County proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back as the Northern Irishman walked away from his role - with Kennedy being appointed caretaker manager in the aftermath.

The 37-year-old former defender told Celtic TV that he was sad to see Lennon leave the club, adding that he hopes to provide a strong finish to what has been an ultimately disappointing campaign.

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He said: "It's strange. It's not one you are ever really fully expecting.

"We knew the situation in terms of where we were sitting collectively as a group, falling below where we've wanted to be.

"With that comes pressure but you just have to deal with what comes your way.

"The club have asked me step in at the moment and take charge of the team which obviously I am more than happy to do.

"But ultimately it's not about me. It's about doing the right thing for the team and the club. That's all I care about.

"I have to park my own ambition to the side and just do the right thing day to day which will hopefully help move the club forward.

"We've just got to take small steps. It's a challenging time for everyone, no one likes it when people lose their job, especially the manager who has worked ever so hard here.

"We've just got to get back to doing the basics well. We know that performances and results wise, we've not always been there.

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"There have been too many times this season where we've fallen short on what we would expect, it's just about bringing that back and a lot of that comes down to doing the basic things well and consistently.

"We want to make the players believe in what we're trying to do. It's not that they haven't, but when results don't go your way there's always question marks and a lot noise around the place.

"We know we've got a good enough squad here to go out and get good results."