“It is something you dream about for a long time as a kid lifting a cup with Celtic,” Rachael Johnstone

It’s fair to say Fran Alonso’s squad rotation is a standout facet of his style of management, indeed you’d have as much chance of remembering that forgotten pin number for the savings account than correctly predict a Fran Alonso line-up.

Of course, there are plenty of coaches who like to keep their players and the opposition guessing but how many do it to the point they even rotate their goalkeepers?

Rangers Women v Celtic Women 15/11/2020. Jodie Bartle and Kelly Clark celebrate with Chloe Logan after the final whistle Photo: Malcolm Mackenzie

When it comes to Celtic’s goalkeepers however, there is a good chance rotation may not necessarily be the name of the game. Instead, it may simply be the case Fran Alonso cannot decide between the two at his disposal and there is good reason for it. Chloe Logan and Rachael Johnstone are both standout performers for Celtic and if either is particularly favoured at any time then it can only be by the width of a cigarette paper.

Chloe Logan celebrates with Jodie Bartle. Photo: Colin Poultney

Chloe Logan, the elder of the two at 25, holds an impressive record as the first Celt to come through the Academy ranks, play at every level, and eventually graduate to the first team. Since then, she’s made 52 appearances and kept an impressive 21 clean sheets since re-signing for the club in August 2019.

Chloe would of course be forgiven for assuming she’s Celtic’s number one, given that’s the number displayed on the back of her shirt, but Rachael Johnstone has had other ideas of late.

Rachael Johnstone , Chloe Logan and Jodie Bartle celebrate their 2-1 victory over Rangers. Credit Colin Poultney/ProSportsImages

With a League Cup Winners medal after refusing to yield to Glasgow City, the 17-Year-old who was also part of Celtic’s double-winning Under-19s side in 2019, will be looking to dispense with the number 52 on her back and challenge for that number one position.

And a challenge is not something Rachael Johnstone shies away from. After all, to realise her dream of making the grade as a professional footballer, Johnstone had to put in the hard yards on the training field like anyone else, while at the same time commuting from Balallan on Lewis!

Celtic Stopper Rachael Johnstone (#52) is swept off her feet as celebrations get under way following her sides 1-0 victory over Glasgow City FC during the Scottish Womens Premier League Cup Final match between Glasgow City FC & Celtic FC at Firhill Stadium, Maryhill, Scotland on 5 December 2021.

Thankfully for Rachael she’s now residing in Paisley with teammates rather than travelling from the Western Isles, but to get this far after having to travel that far, then you just know the strength of character and a willingness to make sacrifices will mean Johnstone’s upward career trajectory will likely remain in the ascendency over the next few years.

Speaking to The Press and Journal, Rachael has commented on the move from her Island upbringing to the somewhat less picturesque surroundings of Paisley, and the tough task of leaving an incredibly supportive family behind. After all Mum Rhona was Chloe’s travelling companion in the early days as she covered the miles to training and for matchdays, showing sacrifices are rarely made solely by the player themselves.

“It was pretty tough at first but I kept reminding myself why I was there and that was to be a professional footballer. I think that makes the move away at a young age worth it.

“I have settled in now and I have got a great bunch of flatmates with me. The coaching staff are really supportive because they know I am young. I definitely missed the company of my family, and the views as well.

“The views in Paisley outside my apartment are a lot different to the views in the Western Isles. I missed the freedom and having my family around me, but I have built a new family down in Glasgow pretty much so it makes it me miss home a little bit less.”

With a League Cup winners medal already banked and on the back of only turning professional in September 2021, it has been a bright start for Johnstone at Celtic. With 14 appearances made and nine clean sheets kept, there is every chance Johnstone could strive to be Celtic’s number one, and after outshining Lee Alexander in the opposite goal in that incredible Cup Final, perhaps Rachael’s eyes will be looking towards the national team when the player she looks up to in the Glasgow City goal, finally calls it a day as Scotland’s number one.

But for now, Chloe admits the only target is to establish herself as Celtic’s first choice goalkeeper –

“It has come really quickly but at the same time I think it’s all because of the hard work,” she said. “I think it has come this early as I have put in the miles. I used to have to put in the miles travelling all the time, putting in the hours at training so it is no coincidence that it all came early.

“But at the same time for me it is a big thing that it has come this early. It is a dream and I don’t think it is ever fully going to click in. I still feel I am on cloud 10 the majority of the time.”

Jodie Bartle (#3) of Celtic Women FC lifts the trophy alongside her team mates during the Scottish Womens Premier League Cup Final match between Glasgow City FC & Celtic FC at Firhill Stadium, Maryhill, Scotland on 5 December 2021.

And on that Cup Final Rachael admits the victory over Glasgow City is the stuff dreams are made of, while at the same time considering the possibilities of what still might be ahead. After all Fran Alonso and his Celtic team, much like their male counterparts, are the only teams in top flight Scottish football who could still return a Treble this season:

“It is something you dream about for a long time as a kid lifting a cup with Celtic. It definitely is a dream come true and I am really happy that I have managed to accomplish that dream at such a young age.

“This is the first step and hopefully there are more to come with Celtic.”

Celtic Womens FC are Scottish Womens Premier League Cup Champion’s during the Scottish Womens Premier League Cup Final match between Glasgow City FC & Celtic FC at Firhill Stadium, Maryhill, Scotland on 5 December 2021.

More silverware is exactly what Fran Alonso and his team will be looking for when the action recommences on 9th January with a Scottish Cup tie against Edinburgh City and a tough return to League action the following week away to Hibs. One down two to go will surely be the message from Alonso to his League Cup winning squad.

With Chloe Logan no doubt determined to stake her claim for a starting spot, the battle for the gloves at Celtic will be an interesting one to keep an eye on as the players emerge from their winter shutdown.

And if Racheal does become Celtic’s number one, perhaps she’ll have to dispense with that number 52 shirt next season. But don’t be surprised if that is a tough decision for the young ‘keeper. After all it’s the number on the family home back home in Balallan, so it may stick around as a reminder of just how far Rachael Johnstone has come.

Niall J

About Author

As a Bellshill Bhoy I was taken to my first Celtic game in the summer of 1987. It was Billy McNeill’s return to Celtic Park as manager and Celtic lost 5-1 to Arsenal . I thought I was a jinx, I think my Grandfather might have thought the same. It was the finest gift anyone ever gave me when he walked me through Parkhead's gates.

1 Comment

  1. robert mclaughlin on

    good luck ghirls all the best for the rest of the season…..c’mon the hoops!