'I KNEW IT WAS BAD'
‘I have ELEVEN stud marks on my leg’ – Celtic star Alistair Johnston breaks silence on John Lundstram red card tackle
He revealed he feared he would end up facing a spell on the sidelines after the challenge
ALISTAIR JOHNSTON’S ankle was black and blue.
The red card for John Lundstram so obvious it was back and white.
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Referee Willie Collum initially flashed a yellow card at the Rangers midfielder in the Old Firm derby.
While in the Sky Sports commentary booth Kenny Miller questioned why VAR got involved to urge the official to take a second look.
Johnston initially wondered if Lundstram had won the ball.
But one look at his leg told the Canada international he was lucky to escape a serious injury. Johnston said: “I knew it was bad. My socks were ripped and I had blood everywhere so I had a feeling this one might need to go to VAR.
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“I saw the yellow come out and, to be fair, I saw the ball 30 yards away and thought maybe he did win the ball.
“But he definitely won me as well! I didn’t realise how bad it was until I saw the replay of it.
“In the moment he caught me pretty good, but it looked even worse than it was. A gash was halfway up my leg as well and down the side of it.
“I knew in the moment it probably wasn’t a great challenge and that’s why VAR is here.
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“You can have a look at those tackles again to really see what happened. I think there are quite a few good freeze frames I’ve had sent to me that painted a pretty straight picture of what happened.”
The comments from former Rangers and Celtic striker Miller raised eyebrows as he insisted no one would have bothered had VAR not got involved.
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But Johnston added: “I thought that was what VAR was for, to eradicate decisions where they might have missed something.
“I thought that one was pretty black and white.
“So whatever the controversy was after, I think they made the right call and I think it was a pretty open and closed case.
“I am all for a big challenge as a defender.
“But, again, I think that’s what VAR is there for.
“He caught me pretty good but it almost could have looked in real time like he did win the ball and I just kind of got caught in the middle of it. When you slow VAR down you see that, no, he got me and I actually kicked the ball.
“It was the right call at the end of the day and I don’t think anybody would have any complaints about it.”
Asked if his wound required stitches, Johnston added: “Thankfully not. But I do have about 11 stud marks on my legs — you can count them.
“I was a bit worried it might be the end of my game.
“But it was different to last year’s ankle injury when I got up, tried to put weight on it and it didn’t feel structurally strong at all. This one I just felt it would potentially hinder me a bit in terms of my mobility.
“That’s something as a defender, especially when you are playing against a team like that, where they are going to be direct and they are going play off second balls.
“So I was worried how it might affect me in terms of making a split-second decision or turning.
“So that was more the safe option to come off when it was a bit swollen and sore. I was just happy we ran through all the tests and structurally everything was right.
“It was just about getting the swelling out and everything feels better now.”
Johnston insists he’s made a full recovery and is raring to go again for the clash with Killie at Rugby Park before the final game of the season against St Mirren and then the Old Firm Scottish Cup final.
He added: “You do this whole marathon so that, when you get to the end, you are part of it.
“But no matter who plays we are all confident we can get the job done. That’s the best part of having a big and a strong squad.
“When injuries come — and we’ve had plenty of them this year — we’ve always had that next up mentality.
“Everyone who has played a part has done a really good job, so no matter who plays we feel confident we can do the job.”
Rangers gaffer Philippe Clement pointed to the injuries the Ibrox squad has been hit with this season as the main reason for their failure to win the title.
But Johnston points to the fitness issues Celtic have had.
He added: “This is probably the healthiest we have been all year. We have definitely had some key players who have been in and out of the line-up constantly with little things that have been nagging them and others which were more major.
“But that is part of the sport, you have got to be prepared for that.
“That is part of the thing about playing in multiple competitions on multiple fronts — there are going to be lots of games and that is why the big teams need to have big squads.
“When you’re competing on multiple fronts you have to be able to rotate or if somebody goes down you have one who is ready to come up and take their opportunity.
“I think we have have a couple of players who have done exactly that.
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“Like Liam Scales, from the first minute of the season.
“It is important that everyone is ready to play and I think we have shown that this season it has maybe been more of a happening than in previous years, with guys needing to step up.”
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