Alistair Johnston: We want to come out of the blocks strong again this season

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Celtic F.C.

·30 luglio 2025

Alistair Johnston: We want to come out of the blocks strong again this season

Celtic are just days away from unfurling a fourth consecutive league flag, with St Mirren the visitors to Celtic Park on Sunday (August 3) for the champions’ first match of the 2025/26 season.

In the lead-up to the beginning of the campaign, the Celts have gone through their pre-season preparations in Ireland, Portugal and Italy, with right-back Alistair Johnston joining up with his team-mates on the last leg of their summer schedule.

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It has been a busy few months for the Canada internationalist who, as well as helping his country to the quarter-final of the Gold Cup and joining the Hoops in Como, also got married over course of the summer.

But now that another season in the green and white is about to get underway for the Canadian, Johnston, speaking to Celtic TV, said that he and his team-mates will be looking to get off to the best possible start when the first whistle goes on Sunday afternoon.

“Everything matters now.” Johnston said. “The three points count now as much as they do at the end of the season.

“When we look back at last season, we had a good a start and that made a difference come the end of the season.

‘If you do your work early, you can take a lot of pressure off, especially when the season gets really busy in the winter.’

“We know how important it is to come out of the blocks strong, and this year we have Champions League qualifiers as well, so it’s a big month for us from the get-go.

“That’s a challenge that we’re looking forward to. We have the group to do it, so now it’s about going out there and putting in the performances.”

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For most of the Celtic first-team squad, Sunday won’t be their first Park Flag Day, and, in Alistair Johnston’s case, it will be the third time in as many years that he has experienced the opening day ceremony at Paradise.

It's always a special day for everyone connected with the club, and Johnston says it is a reminder of the rewards that come the club’s way as a result of relentless hard work.

He added: “It’s amazing, getting to unfurl the flag, raising that up and reminding ourselves of how much hard work we put in that previous year and to see that reward again.

“It’s also motivation from day one because we want to do that again and, for the new guys, it’s an understanding of what the minimum requirements are at this club.