Johnston: 'People expected me to do more and I expected more of myself'

Not that Paradise has become hell for Johnston but just not the haven of happiness that was mapped out when he enthralled crowds with those pre-pandemic jinking dribbles.

BUILDING BLOCKS: Mikey Johnston during a Republic of Ireland press conference. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Denzel Dumfries gave Ireland the runaround in September but the Dutch star was once subjected to a similar experience himself by Mikey Johnston.

This time five years ago, an 18-year-old Johnston was the standout of Scotland’s U21 team who recorded Double Dutch in their Euro campaign.

Twice in their 2-1 win in Doetinchem, the winger hit the post and reports of the game confirm he was on the rise while having his marker on toast.

He had broken into the Celtic team over the spell, earning two bumper contract extensions within the space of two years. Then, his injuries and covid hit.

No longer is the Glaswegian the darling of his Scottish generation, instead defecting to Ireland and realising his club career may be better beyond Parkhead.

“I think we got beaten,” the 24-year-old erroneously recalls when reminded of that 2018 clash. “Oh, we won 2-0.” Wrong again. “Was he (Dumfries) playing, yeah?” he queries as the haze deepens.

“I don't know if I gave him a hard time but I can't remember much about it. It's been five years now and that was at youth level. So, it's completely different.” 

Quite the understatement.

Dumfries recovered from the ignominy of being schooled by a teen three years his junior on home soil to gain promotion to the Netherlands senior squad and navigate his way to Inter Milan.

Over the past year, he’s featured in a World Cup semi-final, Champions League final and set up both goals in the come-from-behind win over Ireland in September.

Comparatively, the 12 months for Johnston maintains the slog he’s endured since sparkling for the Scots that night.

Just as a loan move to Portuguese side Vitória de Guimarães and Ireland exposure were regaining former glories, another injury struck.

His struggles for gametime at Celtic are reflected in the fact he’s played the same volume of minutes for Ireland than his employers this season.

Neither statistic is promising. Both were 25 minutes run-outs as substitute.

He’s had to make do with watching Celtic’s return to the Champions League group stages from the sideline. Brendan Rodgers, the manager who afforded Johnston his debut in 2017 is back at the helm but selecting other flankers to create the magic moments.

“I'm definitely going to have to force my way into the Celtic team or see what happens,” he admits about his predicament, noting the transfer window opening in six weeks.

“I'm not sure what's going to happen in January but I do want to play.

“I want to be playing for Ireland too but realistically, if I'm not playing club games I won't be getting picked unless I go out and do really well. It makes it a lot harder.” 

That frustration is difficult to prevent infiltrating life outside of the goldfish bowl.

Not that Paradise has become hell for the local but just not the haven of happiness that was mapped out when he enthralled crowds with those pre-pandemic jinking dribbles.

“I’d like to have done a lot more at this stage of my career,” he confesses with brutal honesty, detailing how his mind played tricks with his body.

“People expected me to do more and I expected more of myself but there's been a lot of factors into why I haven’t done that - injuries probably being the main one.

“What happens on the pitch affects your life massively and every footballer will tell you that. It’s hard to be happy when you’re not doing what you love. At the same time, you must detach yourself from football.

“There was an 18-month spell of quite bad injuries. I didn’t have too much trust in my body at one stage.

“I was afraid to get injured and there was stuff happening. The injury at the start of this season was a freak one but I’m fine now and feeling confident again.” Confident enough to delay the Dutch qualification.

Ireland have no other role in the group’s complexion bar party poopers when they take to the Johan Cruyff tomorrow night.

Injuries and match-fitness have restricted Johnston’s participation to a sole start in his six caps to date on Ireland duty but there’s nothing for manager Stephen Kenny to lose against Dumfries and the rest of his Germany-bound Dutchmen.

“I think I just offer the team something different, to be honest,” he insists when making his pitch for inclusion.

“There’s my one v one ability and maybe I can make things happen that others couldn't. It's tough to say. It's the manager who makes the decision to bring me in and I have to repay him and show him what I can do on the pitch.”