There were not many Celtic players who covered themselves in glory in the club's 2-1 defeat away at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock. The Hoops have looked shaky all season. There have been decent performances here and there, like the 4-1 win over Hibernian recently. But overall, this is a team that has not filled the supporters with confidence and rarely have they been in complete control of matches.
Celtic did look pretty good in the first half against Kilmarnock and should have done better with their chances. The home team turned it around in the second half, were the better team by far and ended up winning 2-1.
One player who has been in the headlines lately is Mikey Johnston. The Republic of Ireland international showed a lot of his promise with his performance off the bench against St Johnstone.
Unfortunately, Johnston has not built on that display and he has disappointed in the following games. And his performance against Kilmarnock has come under the microscope.
Celtic youngster criticised for performance vs Kilmarnock
Pat Bonner does appear to have been impressed with what he saw from Johnston against Kilmarnock. As reported by Glasgow Times, the Celtic hero told BBC Sportsound:
"Young Mikey Johnston kept running towards the ball. He was outmuscled and that then stopped Celtic from from getting a hold of the ball."
The fact of the matter is that Johnston has not gotten enough chances to build up his confidence. Wingers often need that. But he is not helping his case at the moment with his performances.
One of the major reasons Johnston is getting decent playing time right now is because Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada are out injured while the likes of Yang Hyun-jun and James Forrest have not been impressive either. But the Republic of Ireland international needed to make the most of his opportunities, which he unfortunately has not so far. Let's see if he is given a start in the next game.