Alistair Johnston issues 'sluggish' Celtic with stark Scottish Cup final warning

ALISTAIR Johnston has admitted that Celtic’s “sluggish” performance against St Mirren was a timely reminder they will have to perform at their very best to defeat Aberdeen in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final and complete a ninth treble. 

The right-back and his team mates needed an injury-time goal from substitute James Forrest to salvage a 1-1 draw in their final William Hill Premiership match at Parkhead on Saturday afternoon.

It was, with Brendan Rodgers’ men having wrapped up their fourth consecutive Scottish title triumph last month, a meaningless match for the hosts.

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The visitors, meanwhile, still had an outside chance of finishing fifth in the league and qualifying for Europe. 

However, Johnston acknowledged that Celtic, who will make football history if they beat Aberdeen at Hampden this weekend and record a clean sweep of domestic silverware for the ninth time in their 137 year existence, will have to play far better in their final outing of the 2024/25 campaign go prevail. 

(Image: PA Wire) “Saturday was a wee reminder that everyone in this league can give you a tough game,” he said. “They [St Mirren] played well. It was hot, but you can’t complain about that in Scotland. We will look back and figure out what we can do better.

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“We were sluggish and forced a couple of things. But we know we can get back to the level we need to get to. That will be really important because we expect a top game from Aberdeen in a Hampden final. They are not going to roll over just because we are going for a treble.

“It will be difficult, but I am looking forward to it. If you can’t get up for cup finals, there is probably something wrong with you. We expect them to come out full throttle and leave it all on the line. We will be ready for that too. Whether it’s 90 or 120 minutes, we will be ready for it.

“We have had some great cup finals at Hampden. It doesn’t matter who you play, it’s going to be difficult. You can feel the sense of occasion and we are going to be ready for it. We will train hard this week. It will be a privilege to extend our season and hopefully we can lift that third trophy.”