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Rachael Johnstone

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Scottish footballer

Rachel Johnstone
Personal information
Full name Rachel Isabella Johnstone
Date of birth (2004-03-02) 2 March 2004 (age 20)
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team Heart of Midlothian
Youth career
Celtic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2024 Celtic 2+ (0)
2023 Spartans (loan) 4 (0)
2024– Heart of Midlothian 16 (0)
International career
2019 Scotland U17 1 (0)
2021–2022 Scotland U19 5 (0)
2023– Scotland U23 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 January 2025
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 January 2025

Rachael Johnstone (born 2 March 2004) is a Scottish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Heart of Midlothian.

She has previously played for Celtic and Spartans, and has represented Scotland at under-17 and under-19 level.

Early life

Johnstone was born in Glasgow in 2004 and was brought up on the Isle of Lewis where her interest in football began. She began playing for Stornoway Athletic's under 15 boys team – an outfield player who got placed in goal temporarily, impressing when she did.

By the age of 14 she was chosen for the Scotland national team at that age level, making her debut in a match against Poland.

Club career

Celtic

At the age of 16, Johnstone was in the first team squad at Celtic while also playing in the Scotland under-17 team. Her family and particularly her mother Rhona were very supportive of her ambitions, but the long distance between her home in Lewis and Glasgow made attending matches and training difficult. In November 2020, she moved closer to Glasgow, living in a flat in Paisley that she shared with five other teammates.

In September 2021, Johnstone signed her first professional contract with Celtic. She played in the 2021 Scottish Women's Premier League Cup final and 2022 Scottish Women's Cup final, both against Glasgow City, Celtic winning the trophies with 1–0 and 3–2 victories.

Hearts

On 18 January 2024, following a spell at Spartans on loan from Celtic, Johnstone signed an 18-month contract with fellow SWPL team Heart of Midlothian, with the option of a further year extension.

International career

Johnstone was not originally in the 26-player Scotland squad to play in the 2022 Pinatar Cup, but injuries to Erin Cuthbert and Chloe Logan resulted in Leah Eddie and Johnstone being called up to the squad.

Personal life

In 2022, Johnstone was playing football with an ambition to study business.

She wore the number 52 while at Celtic, which is the same as her family's house number in Balallan in Lewis.

References

  1. Rachel Johnstone, Soccerdonna. Retrieved 6 January 2025
  2. "Rachael Johnstone". Celtic FC. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  3. "Lewis goalkeeper Rachael Johnstone is star for Celtic and Scotland". Stornoway Gazette. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  4. ^ MacLennan, Chris (1 January 2022). "Meet the Western Isles teen living out her dream as Celtic's number one (or 52)". Press and Journal. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  5. "Celtic goalkeeper Johnstone's career takes off after clocking up the air miles". The Herald. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  6. "Depleted Celtic win Women's Scottish Cup". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  7. Rachael Johnstone joins Spartans, Spartans FC
  8. "Rachael joins Jambos". www.heartsfc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  9. "Chloe Logan earns first Scotland call-up". Scottish Football Association. 8 February 2022.
  10. McPartlin, Patrick (14 February 2022). "Hibs Women defender Leah Eddie called into Scotland squad as Erin Cuthbert and Chloe Logan drop out". Edinburgh Evening News.


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