West Bromwich Albion winger Mikey Johnston impressed heavily for his country as Republic of Ireland earned a 1-0 win against Finland on Thursday night in the UEFA Nations League game.
The Baggies star provided the assist for Evan Ferguson, who scored the only goal of the match. Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher saved a penalty as Ireland picked up an important win.
The Irish Daily Mail has hailed Johnston as “dangerous” who was a “constant threat” during the game. They have given the West Brom winger an 8/10 rating for his performance against Finland.
The newspaper wrote: “Johnston, dangerous in attack if less certain closer to his own goal, whipped a right-footer beyond the post after sustained Irish pressure.”
In the player rating section, they added: “Occasionally wasteful in the first half, but he did brilliantly for Ferguson’s goal and almost had a second himself later. A constant threat.”
Mikey Johnston will hope to carry the form for West Brom
The Baggies signed Johnston permanently from Celtic during the summer transfer window.
A host of clubs were interested in signing him, but West Brom showed real intention to bring him to the Hawthorns, where he impressed heavily last season on loan.
He made a tremendous impact for West Brom, scoring seven goals in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, and it made a lot of sense to bring him back permanently.
The 2024/25 season hasn’t gone according to the plan. He has made three starts in the Championship, and a further eight appearances have come from the bench.
He has only managed one assist so far, and he needs to improve his numbers. This performance for his country should give him enough confidence going forward.
West Brom have made a solid start in the Championship this season. The Baggies are fifth in the table with 25 points, only six points behind Sunderland and Sheffield United, and they have a good opportunity to secure promotion this season.
