“Too early to be looking at the league table,” insists Celtic Star

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The Celtic Star

·01 de janeiro de 2025

“Too early to be looking at the league table,” insists Celtic Star

Alistair Johnston reckons it is ‘too early to be looking at the league table,’ despite the huge 14 point gap between Celtic and theRangers…

Alistair Johnston in action during the Premier Sports Cup Final victory over theRangers at Hampden on 15 December 2024. Photo AJ for The Celtic Star

Brendan Rodgers’ side can extend their lead at the top of the table between themselves and their nearest title challengers to 17 points with a victory at Ibrox tomorrow afternoon.

Vídeos OneFootball

No away support at Ibrox

Celtic will not have a travelling away support following safety concerns issued by the Hoops hierarchy in August around the Ibrox’ club’s commitment to displaying suitable netting between home and away fans.

Alistair Johnston, who has a remarkable Glasgow Derby record of his own since arriving in Glasgow in January 2022 is unbeaten in 11 matches against theRangers, winning on nine occasions, reckons it is too early for claims to be made that the title is already won.

The Canadian returned to action on Sunday in Celtic’s convincing 4-0 victory over St Johnstone at Paradise after a short-spell on the sidelines following Brendan Rodgers’ side’s Premier Sports League Cup triumph over theRangers more than a fortnight ago.

Alistair Johnston during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and St. Johnstone at Celtic Park on December 29, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Celtic’s priority

Speaking to the media ahead of tomorrow’s third Glasgow Derby of the season, the 26 year-old said: “For us, winning every match is always the priority. It’s still just about to be January and it’s still too early to be looking at a league table in my opinion,” Johnston said, as reported by Daily Record. “No matter what the point gap is, as long as we focus on ourselves, we feel really comfortable we can take care of business. It’s a good sign we have built up a lead. But we had a similar situation last year and struggled a little bit through this winter period.”

“All of a sudden leads can evaporate quickly. But our leadership don’t let us stray from what it is to be a Celtic player and what that means. When you focus on doing the little things right every day and focus on competing for spots in training, it bodes really well, and you don’t get caught up in things.

Alistair Johnston in action during the Premier Sports Cup Final victory over theRangers at Hampden on 15 December 2024. Photo AJ for The Celtic Star

It should be a cracker of a match

“It’s another chance to go there and hopefully get a result against our biggest rivals and we’ll see where it goes. It should be a cracker of a match.”

Celtic played 50 competitive games in 2024 remarkably losing only two matches. It was the fewest number of calendar year losses for Celtic for over 100 years. Now, Johnston and his teammates will be aiming to replicate last year’s form by kickstarting 2025 with three points at Ibrox.

The perfect start to 2025

Johnston explained: “That would be the perfect start to 2025. We are just taking it game by game and this is the next one – and everyone is excited for it. The game the other day (the 4-0 stroll against St Johnstone) was the perfect set up for it, with a little bit of rotation, everyone feeling fresh and contributing, and everyone playing at a high level.

Alistair Johnston of Celtic runs with the ball during the UEFA Champions League match between GNK Dinamo and Celtic FC at Stadion Maksimir on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

“When you look at the schedule, with no January break this year, it’s pretty mental, but there’s an understanding in the squad that the manager will need everyone. So far we’ve seen guys step in and step up to the plate, and that is going to bode well for us going through this month and for the rest of the season.”

Conor Spence

Celtic in the Thirties by Celtic Historian Matt Corr is published in two volumes by Celtic Star Books. ORDER NOW WHILE STOCKS LAST!