In a 3-0 home win at the Aviva stadium, Republic of Ireland got their 1st win of the Euro 2024 qualifiers over Gibraltar, Mikey Johnson stole the spotlight as he played a pivotal role in securing a crucial victory for Ireland. Irish football Fan TV caught up with the Irish international after the game to discuss his outstanding performance and the team’s triumphant result. Johnston, who showcased his exceptional skills throughout the match, humbly shared his thoughts on the game. When asked about being named the man of the match, he modestly stated, “I’m not sure if I was the man of the match or not.
There were a lot of good performances tonight under a lot of pressure.” Despite his humility, it was evident that Johnston’s contributions were crucial to the team’s success. Reflecting on the tactics employed in the game, Johnston mentioned a change made by the manager Stephen Kenny at halftime. “We made the change to go with wingers and have 2 (Centre backs) at the back as well, which gave us a bit more men forward. That’s exactly what we needed,” he explained. The change in tactics proved fruitful, as the team displayed an impressive attacking style and Johnston had fans on their feet. When asked about the impact of his substitution, he expressed confidence, saying, “Definitely, as the game went on without a goal, the pressure increased. Luckily, we managed to score early in the second half.” His goal came as a deflection from a free kick, and he described the feeling as “buzzing.”
The victory in this match held significant importance for Johnson and the team. After a tough result in the previous game against Greece, they faced criticism and doubts. Johnston highlighted bouncing back was key, “Coming off a tough result people will always say tuff, we never got going vs Greece, we never played how we wanted, but it wasn’t through lack of effort in the lead up to the game, preparing for it, we had to bounce back and get the 3 points.”
Drawing comparisons between himself and Aiden McGeady, a former Republic of Ireland international & Celtic player, Johnston acknowledged the resemblance. “Definitely, I’ve talked about this before. I better not talk about him too much, he will probably see this” he added with a smile. Having achieved over 90 caps for Ireland, Johnston expressed his admiration for McGeady, who was his hero growing up as a Celtic fan.
In an exciting development, Brendan Rodgers, the former Celtic manager, has returned to the club. Johnston expressed his optimism about the reunion, as he had previously played under Rodgers during his early years. He believed that with Rodgers’ guidance, the team could achieve even greater success, he spoke about Rodgers and impressing the Celtic boss “Obviously I was young at the time, but he put a lot of trust in me, I feel a lot better now than what I did at that stage my bodies better, stronger I’m older I’m a better player at this point after the year I just had.“ Mikey Johnston’s remarkable performance and big contributions to his team’s victory have solidified his position as a rising star in the Irish team. With his dedication and talent, he provides a different option for Stephen Kenny in attack and unlocks teams who like to sit in. He will be hoping to continue adding goals and assists to the Irish team.