Some double over, it hurts so much. Some sink to their knees. One of the inconsolable is Allan Johnston.
It is a snapshot from an unhappy history in cup competitions for the former Scotland winger. Nine minutes later he was one of two players to have a penalty saved as Bolton lost the shoot-out. “Somebody else (it was Michael Johansen) missed after me, so it wasn’t like it was the penalty.” This is the first thing that comes to mind when Johnston is asked for his cup memories, and it doesn’t bode well.
“I should have kept my mouth shut, shouldn’t I?” he asks, after recalling the climax to that match. He does not stop there, though. “I got to the semis with Middlesbrough as