But, although boss Craig Levein admitted he was impressed with the 20-year-old’s all-round contribution, he is unlikely to be handed a start in Saturday’s vital New Firm derby at Aberdeen.

“He did do well and I was very happy with him, but we are still talking about something like only 15 minutes of first-team football and that does not make him ready for a starting place,” said Craig.

“I don’t see me starting Andis this weekend and I think that will continue to be the case for the rest of this season.

“He’ll probably be on the bench so we can use him like we did on Saturday and it will be next season before the supporters see him starting matches.”

A more likely starter at Pittodrie is fans’ favourite Danny Swanson — like Shala, he was on duty as the reserves headed for Inverness on league business this afternoon.

Swanson put in a lively performance when he came on early in the second half on Saturday and is pushing hard for a start.

“There are a few players in my mind for Aberdeen and Danny is one of them. A lot will depend on how James Wesolowski does in training this week and whether or not I feel he is ready to be involved,” added Craig.

The young Australian did not make the trip north today and was, instead, working hard on his fitness back at Tannadice.

If he can show he is ready, there is a chance he will be asked to step in for Prince Buaben, whose ankle problem is worse than was initially thought when he took a knock on it at the weekend.

The joint is swollen and it will be late in the week, at the earliest, before he is able to return to training.

Meanwhile, after taking in the second string action in Inverness, the manager was heading cross-country to watch Aberdeen’s Scottish Cup clash with East Fife tonight.

The date with the Dutch kicks off at 7.45 in the evening and, in a bid to let fans travelling to Dingwall get back in plenty of time to see the game on TV, the Dark Blues are likely to suggest to County that their First Division clash be brought forward an hour to 2 pm.

“When the game went off on Friday, it was Ross County who suggested to us that we play it next month, and my main thought was that a Saturday afternoon is by far the better option for us,” said boss Jocky Scott today.

“It’s a long journey and not one you want to be making in midweek. This way, we will go up on the Friday afternoon and have a good night’s rest before playing the game.

“Because we’ll be up there already, bringing forward the kick-off time would be no problem to us and, if it helps our fans get back down here in time to see the Scotland game, I see no reason why not — we’ll get in touch with County and see what their thoughts are.”

Of more immediate concern are the preparations for the visit of Livingston on Saturday and, while a couple of players sat out training today, Jocky could have a big squad to pick from by the end of the week.

“The main plus right now is that the training pitches are in good condition again and we are working on grass,” he added.

“After training indoors for a while, yesterday the boys looked like they needed a couple of good sessions outside.”

The club hope to hear the results of the scan on Andy Jackson’s ankle injury later today. It’s thought there may be a tear in the Achilles.

A foot infection still means Kevin James is unable to train.

Derek explained why Martin Hardie warmed up for practically the whole of the first half and part of the second half before appearing as a substitute for Saints against Livi.

“Martin has been suffering from a pelvic injury and it was a case of keeping him moving.”