Alistair Johnston has spoken honestly about a season disrupted by injury, with the defender admitting it has felt longer than most despite barely being on the pitch. The right-back has missed the majority of the campaign after ongoing hamstring problems.
It has been a difficult spell for both player and team. Celtic have had to adjust without a settled option on the right side, while Johnston has been stuck working behind the scenes rather than contributing in matches.
That lack of continuity has shown at times. Without a natural outlet at full-back, Celtic have often looked narrow, and the balance hasn’t always been right when building attacks from deep.
Now, though, Johnston is getting closer to full fitness. After months of recovery and setbacks, he is starting to feel like himself again heading into the final stretch of the season.
He said: (RecordSport), “It’s probably been the longest year of my life and I’ve barely played any of the matches. It’s just been a constant revolving door.
“There’s so much just going on behind the scenes as well. The play on the pitch hasn’t been what we’ve come to expect as a player pool and what our fans have come to expect from a Celtic team.
“So that’s been frustrating. But at the same time, we’re still in a position where if we really put together a string of results here, we have a chance to still win the league and ideally win the Scottish Cup.
“The body’s feeling good. It’s been a long recovery, but that’s what a hamstring is. You’ve got to be smart with it. You’ve got to take the time and put in the hours.
“There are no shortcuts you can take with a hamstring.”
Johnston also went into more detail about the point where his recovery took a step backwards. Just as he was building towards a return, the injury flared up again, leaving him facing a much bigger setback than first expected.
What had been a steady recovery suddenly became a longer process, with surgery needed to properly deal with the problem and reset things.
He added: “It was definitely one of the most difficult days when I realised that I had re-injured my hamstring and I needed to get surgery.
“It was just really frustrating. It felt like it was so unnecessary, taking the risk when I did it. But at the end of the day, you move on quickly.
“But at the end of the day, I still am lucky. You get to go in six days a week and I’ve got a physio who’s full-time with me, taking care of my every need and making sure that I come back stronger. I’m still getting paid.
“There’s definitely worse things, worse situations in the world, as frustrating as it was to not be able to go out there and help my teammates.”
His comments give a clear picture of what the last few months have been like. It hasn’t just been about missing games, but dealing with setbacks and starting again.
For Celtic, having him back changes how they play. He brings energy down the right and gives the team another option when building attacks.
The focus now is on staying fit. After such a long spell out, the priority is putting together a run of games.
If he manages that, it could certainly still have an impact on how Celtic finish the season.
