Carl Johnston has started pre-season with two significant life changes: becoming a father and being trialled in a new position in Peterborough United’s midfield. The 24-year-old missed the club’s training camp in Spain to be present for the birth of his first child and, on his return, has been used centrally rather than at full-back.
Adapting after a long lay-off
Johnston, who joined Posh from Fleetwood Town in January 2025, had been deployed as a defender throughout his time with the club. He had not featured since suffering a calf injury at Leyton Orient in March, and his reintroduction to match action has come through two recent friendlies where he has operated as a holding midfielder.
Managers often use pre-season to experiment; in Johnston’s case the change gives him more involvement in both phases of play and an opportunity to demonstrate versatility ahead of the new campaign. The manager described Johnston’s performance at Colchester as the standout display, and he also started in the 1-0 friendly defeat at Boston United.
Player perspective
“I was buzzing to become a dad,” Johnston told the club’s Posh Plus service after the game at Boston. “I did miss an important week in Spain though so I’m catching up on my minutes.”
He said the midfield role suited his background, noting that he played centrally through his youth career. Johnston added that while the team had good periods in midfield, there were also moments out of possession that required improvement and that match sharpness would come with minutes on the pitch.
- Family first: missed Spain camp to be present at birth of first child.
- Position change: used as a holding midfielder in recent friendlies.
- Fitness return: first action since calf injury in March.
What this means for the season
Posh are using pre-season to assess personnel and playing systems. Johnston’s willingness to operate in midfield adds options for the manager, particularly while transfer business is ongoing; the player himself expects to be considered for a return to full-back once summer recruitment is finalised. In the short term, continued minutes in friendlies will be important to rebuild his match fitness and timing.
| Match | Role | Outcome / Note |
|---|---|---|
| Colchester United (friendly) | Holding midfield | Johnston praised as best player on the pitch |
| Boston United (friendly) | Holding midfield | 1-0 defeat; Johnston returning from injury |
Peterborough travel to York City for another friendly on Tuesday as they continue preparations for the season ahead. For Johnston, the coming weeks will determine whether the midfield experiment is a temporary measure to ease him back into action or a more permanent new chapter in his Posh career.
