Alistair Johnston insists he won’t be pushed around at Celtic. Not when he’s had to learn to get tough.
From the ice-hockey rinks of Canada as a kid to the CONCACAF destinations as a footballer for his country, Johnston has learned to stand up for himself and fight Now aged 24, he’s all grown-up. Ready to handle the rigours of the Scottish Premiership and the pressures of Celtic.
From youth in other sports to finding ways of helping Canada end 36 years of exile from the World Cup, Johnston had to learn the tricks. The Canadian speaks with charm, yet there is clearly an inner steel that gives him a seal of granite when he hits the field. Johnston said: “Growing up in a family of three boys and being the middle child and not being given anything definitely plays into that.
“We’re all super competitive since childhood, it doesn’t matter if it was basketball on the road or football in the back yard. It’s in my nature. Playing hockey in Canada, it’s extremely physical and people here can relate to that. We’re similar countries in that respect.
“It’s a hard-working country, people are very kind but they work hard and understand that nothing is taken for granted. That’s something you see with the national team too and with me. Once the ref blows that whistle, it’s game on.
“It doesn’t matter how nice we are off the pitch, we’re going to be ferocious competitors on it. Fighting in hockey comes with the sport. Every shot, every whistle, there’s always pushing going on.
“We tried to bring that into the national team in this last World Cup cycle and it worked for us. A big thing in the CONCACAF region is you’ll go to Honduras or Panama and the night before the game they’ll pull the fire alarm on you.
“You play Mexico in the Azteca, 7000 feet above sea level, you’re gasping for breath. The term is always: ‘You got CONCACAF’d’. All these countries find a way to use what they have to their advantage and us Canadians are always so nice.
“We asked ourselves, ‘what we do best?’. We’re an extremely tight group and we have the frozen north. So we started playing games there. We played Mexico in November out in Edmonton and it was minus 20 degrees at kick-off.
“Another thing is, if you want to push one of us, we’ll do what we always do. It’s in our DNA that we always stand up for each other, so if you lay a hand on one of us? The whole 11 and the bench is coming over.
“That’s something we started intimidating teams with. It also showed how collective a group we have. That plays into how we are as people, extremely fierce competitors who love a fight, don’t get pushed around.
“If you’re going to push me, I’ll push you back. That sets the tone for what I want to bring to this club. It’s a physical league. Growing up in a sort of British household has prepared me for it. It feels like a match made in heaven for me.
“My dad’s side are English and Scottish. My mum is from Northern Ireland so growing up football was our main sport.”
Johnston is determined to take his chance. He describes himself as a “very late bloomer” having been told many times in his youth days he was too small.
He took the college route and ended up converting from midfield to full-back. He said: “Sometimes I found it difficult in midfield, I almost felt a bit caged in. At right-back, they told me to go up there and do my thing, overlap. From then on, and ever since I was a kid, I felt this innate confidence that something was going to happen.”
Johnston made it to the MLS and now it’s Celtic. He’s on the rise. His national coach John Herdman likens him to Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilacueta. Modestly, he says that’s just because “of the ability to play in a back three, four or five”.
But Ange Postecoglou has spotted the potential for more growth and Johnston knows what he’s getting into. As a kid, he’d watch Champions League games. He said: “If there’s a full slate of games going on in the Champions League and Celtic’s playing, I want to watch no matter who they are playing. Just to see the atmosphere.
“We’ve had a couple of players with the national team who have played in Scotland and they’ve said the league’s a blast. And obviously Celtic is the cream of the crop. It’s cool to live out that childhood fantasy.
“The stadium is pretty special even with no-one in it. You can feel there’s something about it, the history. It’s pretty cool. I think this club, if you don’t win, there will be questions asked. That’s what you want.
“You want to be in a place that puts you into the best situation to go and win trophies. Celtic have shown that throughout their entire history. That’s one of the most exciting parts. At the same time, there is also room for growth in Europe. This club is at a really cool stage and I really think it’s going to continue to grow.”
And, of course, Johnston will need to get used to the scrutiny. He’s only been here a few days, but smiled: “It’s hard to put into words how big this club is and once I signed, I thought: OK, this is a bit of a step up from what I’m used to.
“Once you get here and you start to experience it, I was full, cap down low, just out trying to experience what Glasgow is like on a Sunday morning. And people were very respectfully going: Welcome to the biggest club in the world.
“This is a fanbase that isn’t just diehard for their club. It’s also a very educated fanbase. That’s something that I really enjoy as well because I consider myself a student of the game as well.”
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