Celtic Defender Alistair Johnston Concedes He Was Fortunate to Avoid Derby Dismissal
Celtic full-back Alistair Johnston has confessed that he might have been lucky to stay on the pitch during his team’s crucial 3, 1 derby win over Rangers at Celtic Park.
The match started poorly for the hosts when Mikey Moore put the visitors ahead early in the game. Not long after, Moore was on the receiving end of a robust challenge from Johnston. The Canadian international was shown a yellow card for the tackle, and the original decision stood after a formal VAR review.
Celtic capitalized on maintaining their full complement of players, successfully turning the match around to claim a massive victory. Johnston later acknowledged that the afternoon could have taken a very different turn had he been sent off.
Johnston Reflects on the Flashpoint
Speaking to the media ahead of Celtic’s upcoming title-decider against Hearts, the 27, year, old defender discussed the element of luck surrounding the incident.
“As a defender now, you got to be so smart with every tackle you put in,” Johnston stated via Celtic’s official YouTube channel. “Was I a little bit lucky? Yeah, probably. When you slow it down, again, I’m going to win the ball. Of course, you’re going to take the man, you want to get the man as well. But am I intending to injure? No.”
The defender explained that he simply intended to make a firm challenge, the kind that supporters from both sides of the Glasgow rivalry expect from their players.
“And yeah, I caught him,” Johnston continued. “I thought in the moment I caught him on the top of the foot. I wasn’t 100% sure what the VAR was going to look like. Turns out it sounded like they didn’t have the replay that might have been a bit more conclusive that I should have been sent off. This and that, it is what it is.”Adapting to the Modern Game
The Celtic right-back also noted how much the officiating landscape has shifted in recent times, changing how defensive interventions are evaluated by referees.
“I thought in the moment yellow card was probably fair. If it was 10 years ago I would have said ‘how is that even a foul?’ But that’s just the day and age now,” he remarked. “Yeah, at the end of the day, am I lucky I didn’t get sent off? Probably, but it’s football. You want to make hard tackles. I’m glad that I stayed on the pitch and we managed to win that match.”With the Glasgow derby now behind them, Celtic turn their focus to the weekend showdown at Celtic Park against Hearts, where they have the chance to officially secure the league title.