Isaiah Johnston knows all about conjuring special moments at Spruce Meadows.

Last season, as York United pushed for the play-offs, Johnston expertly latched onto a low cross from the right side and swept the ball inside Marco Carducci's near post to give The Nine Stripes a 5th-minute lead against Cavalry FC. It was his third goal of the term and another string to add to an impressive bow in what was a breakout campaign.

Given his current form, something similar later tonight would be unsurprising.

Despite the 4-2 defeat at home to Pacific FC last Friday, the 20-year-old enjoyed himself considerably and helped himself to a pair of assists. Inside the opening minute, he raced onto an inch-perfect pass over the top from Roger Thompson and laid off to Ronan Kratt who remained composed in front of goal and neatly found the bottom corner. And then, early in the second half, Johnston took off on a mesmeric run in which he evaded three players before slipping the ball into the path of Osaze De Rosario who curled a brilliant finish to the net.

Though the past few weeks have been tough for the team, Johnston has started to find real momentum. In the Canadian Championship semi-final against Vancouver Whitecaps, it was the midfielder who grabbed the game by the scruff of its neck on 84 minutes. With his side 2-0 down, he picked up a pass in a dangerous area, shook off the close attentions of Jacob Nerwinski and instinctively drove a shot beyond Cody Cropper. It set up a momentous final few minutes and gave his club a chance of creating a major upset.

"I feel that my role needs to be that of more of a leader on the field, and not just vocally but with the ball," Johnston said after the clash with Pacific FC last Friday evening.

"I think I need to create more for my team-mates and put them in better scoring positions. I got the licence to be really positive tonight: everything on the half-turn, driving at their back-four, trying to create. And it worked. I got two assists out of it and we looked good in that formation. I was told to stay deep, pick my moments and find pockets. Me and [Martin] Nash get along very well. He's shown me things that as a young player I don't really think about: certain positioning, certain patterns, certain movements. I've been given a confidence to be that player, to create and to score goals now."

At the beginning of the season, Martin Nash challenged the York United youngsters with a lot of technical work. The focus was on being deliberate with their actions, to have more control and poise in games and improve positioning and decision-making.

Johnston has listened intently and adjusted his game accordingly. For Nash, the progress now means he has the ability to set the league alight.

"He's an immensely talented young man," Nash says.

"He's got good technical ability. He's a good athlete, strong and physical. He has all the attributes you want. At times, we've felt like he's almost done too much this year. We've tried to simplify his position in recent weeks and I think we made it easier for him to be more effective in games by doing it. I thought he was brilliant the other night. He knew when to dribble, when to pass and when he makes those decisions quick and well he's extremely effective. He's been playing really well. And we've got to keep him going and keep him on the front foot because when he's playing like he is now then he's a starter in any team in this league."

Share this Story