Mikey Johnston marked his first Vitoria Guimaraes goal with a spectacular solo effort against Canelas 2010 on Saturday.
The winger has had his development stalled by injuries over the last two seasons with the move to Portugal offering a fresh start at the age of 23.
Getting towards peak fitness has been a priority for the winger, after three appearances off the bench he was picked to start Saturday’s cup tie away to the Third Division side.
APANHA-O SE CONSEGUIRES! ? Johnston partiu antes do meio-campo e ninguém o conseguiu parar!@VitoriaSC1922 #sporttvportugal #TAÇAnaSPORTTV #tdp #TaçadePortugal #canelas #vitoriasc #Johnston pic.twitter.com/932Qs8VRjA
— SPORT TV (@SPORTTVPortugal) October 15, 2022
Speaking to The Sun, Johnston said:
The goal I scored? It just opened up for me. I saw Nelson da Luz passing me, I used him as bait and I took advantage of the space that opened up, and managed to shoot and score. I was very happy.
For me, it was important to get a start in the Cup game because I lost a lot of game time in the adaptation period, the goals were a bonus and helped us get through to the next round, which was the most important thing.
These games can be tricky, we encountered a lot of challenges, but we managed to overcome them and now we look to the future.
I came here to play, I hope that this start, these goals, and the opportunities I have had will make me maintain this level to help the team, but I need to do this more regularly.
The squad welcomed me very well because I’m also trying to learn Portuguese, which always helps, and I’m a sociable person, I like to talk to everyone, I’m trying my best to get to know everyone and it’s going very well.
After 34 months without a senior goal Johnston added a second for Guimaraes soon after his solo effort lit up social media.
With a World Cup break coming up Johnston will be eager for as much playing time as possible before picking up on the season at the end of December.
Celtic are currently well off for wingers but a solid season in the Portuguese League will give Ange Postecoglou another option next summer as he pushes on with his Celtic revamp.
Only two Scots Bhoys on the pitch on Saturday, me thinks. Tony Ralston and James Forrest. Absolutely nothing against anybody who puts on a Celtic jersey to play for Celtic, but local lads have done us proud in the past and I’d be happy to see Mikey come back a better player and make a career for himself at Celtic!