Ahead of the Eagles’ trip to Newcastle United on Saturday, no other Premier League goalkeeper has kept more shut-outs than Johnstone’s four, while only two other top-flight clubs – Arsenal and Manchester City – possess better defensive records (seven conceded).
Indeed, in the 21 Premier League appearances Johnstone has made for Palace since April, he has kept an impressive nine clean sheets – a record which has led to a recall for England, for whom he added a fourth consecutive shut-out during the October international break.
His credentials are likely to be tested further at St James’ Park and Newcastle – the division’s second-best scorers – but Johnstone hopes to rise to the challenge.
“It's going to be a tough game,” the goalkeeper admitted. “Every game's tough, but up there at Newcastle, it’s a great atmosphere, so it'll be tough – but we've got a good side.
“We've got some players who are back fit which is going to help as well, and we always go out to win the game, so hopefully we can do that. We'll see what happens.
“The atmosphere will be great. I've played there a couple of times and it's always loud. I think now it'll be even louder because of the way they're going with the Champions League.
“But look, I enjoy that. To be honest, when you're on the pitch, it's just noise. You're focused and zoned in on the game and what's going on. The lads will thrive off it hopefully.”
Discussing his ambitions for the season, Johnstone revealed: “I think my individual ambition this season is to keep performing to a high level until the end of the season, and to play as many games as possible.
“Hopefully, both me and the team can continue to improve our clean sheet record. That's always a good start to have. But for me, it's not the be-all and end-all - I'd rather get three points.
“The manager said something to us the other day: it's a lot easier to try and win a football game when you keep clean sheets. It's a good thing for me and the team to have that focus on being solid and conceding as few goals as possible, and then we can work our way up.”