Two recent entries stand alone at the bottom of Alistair Johnston’s Wikipedia page under ‘Honours’ - Scottish Premiership 2023 and Scottish League Cup 2023.
It’s a 10-week double that’s filled a space where absolutely nothing sat for the previous seven years of the Canada international’s football career. But that could become a Treble this afternoon with Johnston on the precipice of a record achievement and graduating from his crash course in Scottish football with distinction. The 24-year-old certainly knows his history. Victory over Inverness in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden would see the Hoops stand above all others in world football with an eighth Treble. And while fans of a certain age might think this is standard having completed four of those domestic clean sweeps in the last six years, Johnston is well aware its anything but ordinary.
The fact the man he calls captain, Callum McGregor, would be cleaning up for a fifth time - another world record - makes this all the more remarkable. It’s no wonder the January signing from MLS side Montreal is pinching himself as he prepares to run out at the national stadium for the third time in only his 20th Celtic appearance.
He said: “It’s massive. In my career leading up to here, I’d never won a trophy. Never really got close. So to have already won two in five months is a great start and this is an opportunity to complete a Treble.
“It can almost get lost just because of how many Trebles this club has won in the past decade or so. But when you really look at it in the world of football, there are not a lot of players who have the opportunity to say they’ve won a Treble. That’s not lost on us. We understand, especially us younger guys who’ve never done it before, how much that could possibly mean to us.
“We’ve got great leadership in this team who have been there, done it and know what that means. It really puts you down in the history books and that’s something all of us are striving for. When you look at how decorated James Forrest and Callum McGregor are, it really puts things in perspective. You look at the world of football and the most decorated players and they’re right up there.
“So it goes to show - it almost does seem a little ordinary here but it’s not normal. We can’t take that for granted. This club is in a really good spell right now. We want to keep it up there but at the same time we understand what we’re doing isn’t ordinary.
“Callum and James are great role models. Not just because of how they come in and train. The pressure that comes with being a Celtic player, both on and off the pitch – you don’t live a normal life.
“Anywhere you go, you’re getting people coming up to you. Sometimes it’s the other side who are harassing you a little bit. You can see why a lot of guys probably burn out. It gets really difficult being in that limelight, having that pressure to not only perform in every match but win in every match and win every competition you are in.
“To see that level of hunger from those guys, every day in training and at every match is really impressive and it’s why they’re the leaders of this group.
“My dad will always Google my name. I tell him it’s not a good idea because when it’s going well it’s going to be fun. When it’s not, it’s not going to be great.
“But he says: ‘you go onto your Wikipedia and the first thing that comes up is winner of this and winner of this’. At the end of the day, you do want those accolades and accomplishments beside your name when you do hang it up.
“You want to look back and potentially show your kids and grandkids some medals, some things you’ve done. So that they actually believe you did play.”
Johnston will be cheered on in Mount Florida by his dad, Bill, and mum, Kathryn, who have made the trek after being blown away by images of the Hoops’ title celebrations last month.
It’ll be his old man’s second Hampden experience having been over for February’s League Cup Final victory over Rangers. Not that he can remember too much about it.
Johnston said: “Yes, he was there and he was loving it. I’m not too sure he remembers it too well because he was enjoying himself quite a bit.
“All the other parents came up to him and they could tell he was probably the one who wasn’t 100-per-cent sure where to go. So they looked after him which was really nice.
“They didn’t actually fly out for the trophy presentation last week. They were seeing all the pictures from the celebrations on the pitch and stuff.
“We were at our team function later and it was late when I got a call. I thought ‘Who’s this calling me at this time?’ It turned out it was my Dad, asking me if I was enjoying myself and I told him it had been a great evening.
“He then told me they’d just booked flights because we felt we were missing out. Hopefully we can seal it the right way and they can see a good celebration afterwards.”
