Rangers
Johnstone signed for Rangers as a schoolboy in 1968. He turned professional in 1970 [3] and made his debut on 19 September 1970, aged 16 years and 319 days. Johnstone scored two goals in that match, a 5–0 victory against Cowdenbeath. [4]
Johnstone thrust himself into the limelight just five weeks later when his header secured a 1–0 victory over Celtic in the 1970 Scottish League Cup Final. Johnstone was still 16 at the time, but the faith shown in his ability by manager Willie Waddell paid off handsomely, as Rangers claimed their first major trophy for just over four years.
Despite his heroics against Celtic, Johnstone found regular first-team outings in the number '9' jersey hard to come by, largely due to the presence of Colin Stein, Scotland's first £100,000 player, although he did score 11 goals in 16 league appearances during the 1971–72 season. He compensated for his lack of frontline action by often playing as a centre-back when either Ronnie McKinnon or Colin Jackson was injured, and when the duo were ruled out of the 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, Johnstone (still only 18) deputised in the match against Dynamo Moscow.
Johnstone soon became a regular in the starting line-up, and he picked up a Scottish Cup winners' medal in 1973 when Rangers defeated Celtic 3–2 at Hampden Park. Johnstone played a huge role in the winning goal, rising above the Celtic defence to head a Tommy McLean free-kick towards goal, and when his header struck both posts, Tam Forsyth was on hand to nudge the rebound over the line. The McLean-Johnstone combination that created this famous goal was a hallmark of Rangers' play in the 1970s.
Johnstone eventually picked up a league championship medal at the end of the 1974–75 campaign, as Rangers ended Celtic's nine-year reign as champions of Scotland, and he was an integral part of The Gers' domestic treble success a year later. He scored a total of 31 goals in 51 appearances, including two in a 3–1 win over Hearts in the 1976 Scottish Cup Final. He scored his first, a typical header, after just 42 seconds and thus earned himself a unique place in the annals of Scottish football: the referee had actually kicked off the match early, so Johnstone had actually hit the net before the allotted 3pm kick-off time had been reached.
Although 1976–77 was a barren season for Rangers, they came back strongly in 1977–78 by winning their second treble inside three years. Johnstone was the outstanding performer in what was an exceptional Rangers side, scoring thirty-eight goals over the course of the campaign and picking up the Scottish Football Writers' Player of the Year accolade.
With Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur reportedly interested in luring Rangers' top marksman to London, Johnstone submitted a transfer request in the summer of 1978. He was seeking a new challenge in his career, but the intervention of new Rangers manager John Greig persuaded Johnstone to stay in Glasgow. He was named club captain, and in his first season with the armband, he almost led the Ibrox side to an unprecedented second successive treble; only a last-gasp 4–2 defeat against Celtic at Parkhead denied Rangers the Championship, but Johnstone did get his hands on the Scottish Cup – he scored twice in the Final's second replay against Hibernian – and the League Cup, beating Aberdeen.
That season was to be the high point for the John Greig era, and Rangers' fortunes dipped badly thereafter. They did win the Scottish Cup in 1981 and the Scottish League Cup in 1982, but found themselves playing second fiddle in the Premier Division to Celtic and the emerging New Firm of Aberdeen and Dundee United.
