Many Celtic fans were left nervous when they saw the name of Alistair Johnston in the starting XI for the game against the Rangers at Ibrox. The Canadian international had been signed only recently and while he has trained with the team, this was his debut for the club and to make it in the Glasgow Derby, away from home, is a big ask for any player.
It is safe to say that Johnston rose to the occasion and then some. The Canadian star was very good against the Rangers and one of Celtic’s best players on the day, as they came out of Ibrox with a 2-2 draw.
His performance also provided hope to the Celtic fans that things will be alright, even if Josip Juranovic ends up leaving in the January transfer window.
Johnston has already gotten a taste of the controversy that always surrounds the Scottish game as well, with Celtic not receiving a penalty kick for the incident involving Connor Goldson.
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As reported by Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (via 67 Hail Hail), Johnston said about the incident:
"“It happened so quickly, you couldn’t really tell. And then obviously we’re waiting for the throw, and he said he was looking at a potential handball.“So, okay that kind of makes sense because something did not feel right about what happened in there. Then obviously after the match, you see the replay of it.“I think it’s hard to argue that is a natural hand position. As a defender especially, you put your hands up there, you generally run the risk. So for me, I thought it was a penalty, might sound a little biased here.“It is what it is; at the same time, it’s a 90-minute match. That’s just one decision that was made, there is so many other moments in that match that we could have done better, where we could have done better.”"
Johnston further went on to add:
"“But all we ask for is just consistency, and that’s the biggest thing that you want as a footballer.”"
It is safe to say that there is a severe lack of consistency when it comes to the decision making in the Scottish Premiership.
But that has not stopped Celtic from being nine points ahead of the Rangers in the title race with 18 more league games to go.
At the same time though, the Hoops cannot afford to rest on their laurels just yet. There is a lot of football still to be played, including two more Glasgow Derbies. And one cannot deny the fact that the Rangers seem to have improved following the arrival of Michael Beale, although that can be attributed to a new manager bounce and let’s see how long it lasts for.