Celtic defender Alistair Johnston has predicted that James Forrest will continue to set the standard for emerging talents at Lennoxtown after his historic goal spared the champions’ blushes on trophy day.
Having climbed off the bench, the 33-year-old scored in the 94th minute against St Mirren to ensure he maintained the record of netting in each of his 16 seasons as a professional.
Now the club’s most decorated player with 26 honours, he’s played his way into contention to start the Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen after a cameo role which will go down in Celtic folklore.
Team-mate Johnston feels Forrest — who still has another year to run on his contract — remains a shining example to all young players of the dedication that’s required to carve out a successful career at the club.
‘James is not here as a token player just because of the status he has,’ said the Canadian. ‘He still provides something to this team and gives us such a different profile on the wing.
‘We have a lot of young players in that position who are direct but maybe lack consistency, which is what happens at that age at a big club.
‘But James shows them how to last at a place like Celtic.
‘It’s about consistency and he takes the ball, protects it and makes the right decisions every time. That’s why the gaffer trusts him to come in on big occasions when things are maybe not going our way.
‘You think back towards the end of last season when that was the case. James was probably the first name on the team sheet at that point.
‘He still has a lot to offer and hopefully he will go for 17 in a row next season.’
Forrest, who opened his professional account as a youngster against Motherwell in May 2010, had last scored at Kilmarnock in the same month a year ago.
Having waited until 60 seconds from the end of his 32nd appearance of this season to keep up the remarkable sequence, his goal was met by thunderous acclaim from home supporters.
‘It’s a fairytale for James,’ added Johnston. ‘Grown men were nearly in tears and that sums up how much James means to this club.
‘I am really happy for him. It’s a bummer that we only drew but to keep that streak going for 16 seasons is unbelievable.
‘It shows how much he has taken care of himself for over a decade.
‘James is a shy guy, but we got him out there and got him talking and lifting the trophy.’
Johnston provided the assist which allowed Forrest to net his first goal of the campaign.
Adamant that he didn’t decide against shooting purely because it would deprive Forrest of the chance, he added: ‘It could have been anyone standing there, I would still have passed the ball. I knew it was James and, yeah, we have been on him all week — you have to get one.
‘We were telling him to be selfish and, even when he came on, I was telling him to hit shots.
‘He took a couple on and you could tell he was feeling it.
‘You could see in midweek against Aberdeen that he’s had that little bit about him. He had his full-back on toast there.
‘When Luke (McCowan) made the right decision and played the ball to me, it was always going to be a pass.
‘I wanted to give him something to walk onto, but he still had a lot of work to do.
‘He hit a sweet little two iron with some fade on it!
‘He kept it low and out of the wind and it was amazing to see the net ripple.
‘James kissing the badge and running into the corner was genius. It’s a moment nobody will forget anytime soon.
‘I have never seen an equaliser celebrated like that in my life. It’s amazing for him and the club. He just continues to make history and break records.’
Having turned on the style last midweek at Pittodrie, Celtic were not at their best and were poised to fall to their fifth league defeat of the season until Forrest stepped up.
Although Brendan Rodgers’ league champions are strong favourites to see off a struggling Aberdeen side to complete the Treble, Johnston admits their latest display has given them food for thought.
‘It’s a wee reminder, but we knew that anyway,’ he said. ‘Everyone in this league can give you a tough game, and they (St Mirren) played well. We will look back and figure out what we can do better.
‘We were sluggish and forced a couple of things, but we know we can get back to the level.
‘That will be really important because we expect a top game from Aberdeen in a Hampden final.
‘They’re not going to roll over just because we are going for a Treble.’
Forrest and skipper Callum McGregor have now collected half a century of trophies between them and will seek to add to that tally at Hampden.
Dismissing the notion that any professional could ever tire of winning, Johnston added: ‘Look at James and Cal. They have won 50 trophies between them and are the two hungriest guys around.
‘How can you, as a younger player with a lot less medals than them, ever say: “Oh, it’s just another one”.
‘We want to win every piece of silverware available and we all have that desire and desperation to do it again on Saturday.
‘We are in a position to do a domestic clean sweep so let’s go and take that chance.’