DORTMUND, GERMANY - OCTOBER 01: Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers during a UEFA Champions League matchday two League Phase match between Borussia Dortmund and Celtic at the Signal Iduna Park, on October 01, 2024, in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Alistair Johnston was one of Celtic’s heroes in the dramatic win over Ross County this afternoon in the Scottish Premiership.
The Celtic fullback scored the fortuitous vital equaliser for Celtic in the Ross County win as Johnston played his part in breaking down a stubborn defence that almost held out for the win.
The Canadian found himself in an unusual attacking position during the Celtic win and speaking post-match, Johnston shared what the coaching staff joked about and instructed him to do against Ross County this afternoon which paid off big style for Brendan Rodgers.
How Alistair Johnston’s new role at corners paid off for Celtic vs Ross County
Alistair Johnston found himself on the scoresheet again against Ross County after he netted the winner in Celtic’s 1-0 win last season at Parkhead.
And here he shares what the Celtic coaching told him to do at corners and how it was a ‘buzz kill’ in preparation for the Dingwall fixture.
Johnston told Sky Sports, “It’s been funny, though, it’s been about a season and a half at the back for corners.
“So this is the one they were all joking about, the coaching staff, that I’ll be in the box. So I was excited for that so then they said they were going to stick me on the goalie for every single corner, so that was a bit of a buzz kill.
“But at the same time, Cal whacked it and I was just trying to get out of the way. Thankfully it hit me and went in. He was telling me after he thought was going wide, but he’s just trying to be nice about that.
But no, it’s a nice feeling and again, it kick-started a comeback for us, and it was needed again. I’ve got no clue what minute it was in, it felt kind of late, I guess, in the match.
“But no, it was massive again to just get the boys going and again to get three points up here as it’s not an easy place to go. So, just really happy with that.
Alistair Johnston and his evolving partnership with Nicolas Kuhn at Celtic
Brendan Rodgers seems to have stumbled across a very effective partnership at Celtic as Nicolas Kuhn and Alistair Johnston terrorise the left side of the opposition in the Scottish Premiership.
The right-sided players combined perfectly to create the winner in today’s tightly contested match against Ross County but in truth, this is not the first time both players have combined to great effect.
In the Celtic win over Rangers at the end of August, Johnston and Kuhn combined to create Daizen Maeda’s opener in the 3-0 win over the Ibrox club.
Kuhn’s attacking endeavour on the right wing is complemented by Johnston’s forward-thinking overlap as well as the Canadian’s strength in defence as Celtic continue to dominate Scottish football.
Now heading into the international break, Kuhn, Johnston and Celtic do so feeling confident after solidifying their place at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.
