Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has challenged his side to hit peak form as they head into the title run-in. The champions maintained their 13-point lead in the William Hill Premiership in midweek by beating Aberdeen 5-1. It was around this stage last year that Celtic produced a stirring finish to their title charge and Rodgers wants his players to use a less challenging fixture schedule to their advantage, although they will first have to overcome St Mirren in Paisley. Having played 10 games in 10 consecutive midweeks, Celtic are about to enter a extended phase of playing once a week. “The whole point was to get to this point of the season in the best place we possibly could,” Rodgers said. “We have 10 games to go, having the lead that we have, having already won a cup, having shown progress in Europe, we arrive now into this stage of the season where virtually from Saturday we’ll go into one game a week. “So the freshness, the ability to train, to work on things becomes a great advantage for us and that’s all we can ask. The players have really set a top standard. It’s been relentless for the last three and a half months. In the last three months we’ve played over half a season’s games in three months. I think it’s 23 games or something we’ve played. “Because of the nature of how we play and the level we want to play at, they’ve been absolutely magnificent. I can’t speak highly enough of them, but we’ve still got a big job to do. “We have the advantage in the league of course, but for me it doesn’t mean anything. We have to go into every game to win and to perform at the highest level we can. The whole nature is to start fast and finish strong as a top team. “We started really well. Performance level, goals, clean sheets, intensity. Then we go through a period where the performances were still very good. Some were really intense, some were where we got the job done. Maybe not as intense, but that’s natural with the sheer scale of games. “Now we arrive into a part of the season where we want to finish really strong.” Celtic have won their last seven meetings with Stephen Robinson’s St Mirren side, including a 3-0 success in Paisley early in the season. “We were very good,” Rodgers said. “And you have to be, because Stephen’s an outstanding coach and manager. “His teams are very clear in how they play, they understand their roles, they make it really difficult for you. They press the game really well, they’re very coordinated when they haven’t got it. And then when they do, they play a direct game, they get it up, they get it wide, they get crosses in the box. “So it really challenges you. But I felt the game earlier on in the season, we managed that aspect of it really well. You just have to do all the dirty bits of the game really well, all the stuff that doesn’t get a lot of attention. “But we did that really, really well. The running was hard, we counter-pressed the game well and that gave us a great foundation to play our football.”