Alistair Johnston quips Celtic kit is to blame for blotch on perfect record as star jokes bring back 'the hoops'

Johnston tasted his first defeat from the start and he jokingly blamed it on the funky kit his side wore in Rotterdam.

Alistair Johnston's perfect starting record went in the bin in Rotterdam – along with Celtic’s funky third kit they wore on the night.

The Hoops full-back wasn’t having the top but he admitted he did like the look of Liam Scales against Feyenoord. January signing Johnston has been a lucky charm for Celts and Tuesday’s painful 2-0 Champions League loss was the first time he went down in a match he has started. The Canadian looked right at home at the elite level but the Parkhead men lost their shape in the second period after Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm saw red.

Johnston admitted it was sore seeing his impressive run hitting the buffers but he’s ready to go again. He joked: “I think it’s the kit. It has to be the green and white hoops, I might have to bin that green one! But that’s the Champions League for you. Yes, that is a bit frustrating to lose that record. That is my first loss. But it was going to happen at some point, so hopefully we can bounce back and start another streak.”

The kit might divide opinion but the performance of Scales was a sight for sore eyes. The Irishman’s displays haven’t gone unnoticed by his team-mates, with the defender stepping into the defensive injury crisis and grabbing his chance with both hands.

Scales looked set for the exit on the back of his loan spell at Aberdeen last season but the crock woe for Cameron Carter-Vickers, Maik Nawrocki and Stephen Welsh has catapulted him into the first team. While £3m Lagerbielke has looked shaky and loan signing Nat Phillips is struggling for fitness, Scales has emerged as an unlikely hero.

Johnston said: “For sure. We had a really difficult spell a couple of weeks back when it just felt like centre-halves were dropping like flies. But we’re starting to get those guys back and it’s giving us confidence.

“At the same time, the guys who have stepped up – Liam has been unbelievable coming into this role, a lot of people probably felt they’d never see him in a Celtic kit again.

“But he’s been one who has just taken it and grabbed it with both hands and hasn’t let it go. Arguably, he’s been our best player these past couple of matches. That’s been really impressive seeing it as a player on the pitch, just seeing the confidence he plays with.

“I wouldn’t have seen him. But I knew what he’d done at Aberdeen the previous year. I’ve been really impressed with his composure on the ball. He’s been better than I could’ve imagined. Again, one of those guys who hasn’t shied away from the moment.

“No matter what’s going on in the match, he’s composed, finding his passes and that’s something I’m really impressed with. He throws his body about, gets in there and he loves a tackle as well. He’s one of those guys who plays for the badge and you never knock that.

“At the same time we have guys like CCV coming back and kind of the big names who have been mainstays in this team the past couple of years and also in our Treble. That’s something that definitely gives us confidence, especially going into the rest of these games.”

Celtic showed enough to suggest they can make a fist of Group E – but they will need to cut out the catastrophic moments of self-harm. Boss Brendan Rodgers pointed to the inexperience of his side and it was a fair point.

The bigger picture is why he had to rely on inexperienced youngsters like Lagerbielke and Holm when the Parkhead side had all summer to tool up and more than £70m in the bank. Only two of the 10 window signings started on Tuesday, including £3m winger Luis Palma finding it tough on his debut.

Johnston knows experience is something you pick up on the job, but this Celtic squad will need to learn quick with Lazio and Atletico Madrid on their way to Glasgow next.

He said: “You know, it’s a great question. But at the same time we play Celtic Park week in, week out and we all know what that pressure is like.

“We know what it’s like playing in front of 60,000 who are desperate and they are moaning whenever you pass the ball back. I do honestly understand that.

“It wasn’t like walking into that stadium and it was overwhelming which I think really helps us on this stage.

“But, no, it’s more down to the fact that these teams are experienced, they don’t feel rushed, they keep playing their principles while other teams, potentially, when they come up against Celtic sometimes they respect us a little too much.

“Sometimes, as we impose ourselves they wear down. These teams, they try to impose themselves on you. And again, that’s a difficult thing to really play in.

“However, at the same time, I do think that was a positive step for us. Again, experience does make a difference when it comes down to some of the decisions on the pitch.

“Of course, both red cards – I think the first one felt a bit harsh in the moment, although I haven’t seen it back. But he (Lagerbielke) was already on a yellow – it’s another learning curve for us. Take fouls, perhaps they give out yellows a little easier I think in the Champions League if they want to keep it more of the beautiful game than we sometimes have in Scotland.

“As I said, it’s another learning curve for us.”