Sam Johnstone's Stellar Debut Secures Celtic's 1-0 Victory

Sam Johnstone walked off McDiarmid Park with a grin as bright as the floodlights above him.

After 21 months without a league appearance, the Wolves loanee stepped into the Celtic goal and helped preserve their perfect start to the campaign with a gritty 1-0 win over St Johnstone. It was not just a comeback. It was a statement.

A surprise name on the teamsheet

His inclusion raised eyebrows before a ball was kicked. Viljami Sinisalo has been assured, reliable, part of the early-season rhythm. Johnstone, 33 and fresh through the door, was thrown straight in.

By full-time, the surprise had turned into a genuine selection dilemma.

Johnstone, capped four times by England, showed exactly why Celtic moved for him. He made three saves, all from efforts inside the box, and each one carried weight in a tight contest. The standout was a stunning, instinctive tip-over from Joel Cotterill’s first-time strike, a moment that stopped Celtic from falling behind and shifted the mood of the afternoon.

He dominated what little came through the air, winning his only aerial duel and punching clear when required. On the ball, he was calm and precise, completing 31 of his 38 passes, with five driven into the final third to launch Celtic forward. Only a late bout of cramp hinted at how long it has been since he last lived a league game at full intensity.

"It's been a rollercoaster week, coming in and getting to know the lads and staff, training and watching a couple of games," Johnstone said afterwards. "So to finally get on the pitch and get a win, clean sheet, play in front of the fans, it was an unbelievable feeling. I'm really happy."

O'Neill’s derby dilemma

If this was an audition, Martin O'Neill now has plenty to think about before Sunday’s League Cup quarter-final at Ibrox.

"The save was fantastic, a really, really brilliant reaction save," the Celtic manager said. "He's a fine goalkeeper and it's just a matter of him getting up to speed with things. Sinisalo's done very, very well indeed, and while I [ideally] do not want to use games like this, I have to find out about a number of players.

"We'll see what happens on Sunday but we've got loads and loads of games and it is really nice to know that I have actually two really decent goalkeepers."

That is the crux of it. Celtic’s 100% start remains intact, and now O’Neill has a genuine choice to make between two in-form keepers on the eve of a derby.

Pressure, performance and a big call ahead

From the stands, former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner saw enough to be convinced that the debate is real.

"Johnstone looked commanding and had that terrific reflex save. He did good, he'll be under more pressure in other games," Bonner told BBC Sportsound. "It will be interesting to see what the manager does now - does he keep him in or go with Sinisalo? Celtic have two good goalkeepers at the moment."

That is the puzzle before Ibrox. Stick with the man who has just delivered a clean sheet on debut, or restore the keeper who helped set the tone for the season?

Johnstone called it a rollercoaster week. The next twist might be whether he’s the one walking out at Ibrox on Sunday.