Simon Johnson (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Simon Ainsley Johnson is an English
professional footballer currently playing for Maltese Premier League
side Hibernians
, where he plays as an attacking midfielder
.
and attended Stuart Bathurst RC High School. He left in year nine and moved to Leeds to start his career at Leeds United
, where he was recognised as a tenacious and skillful target man. He signed his first professional contract at Elland Road
in July 2000, but with a number of strikers ahead of him in the pecking order, he was restricted to reserve team football and did not make his senior debut until he was loaned to Hull City
. In his first match for the Tigers, on 13 August 2002 at Bristol Rovers
, he was brought on as a substitute and scored an 85th minute equaliser which secured a 1–1 draw. Late in the 2002–03 season he made his Premier League debut for Leeds in the 6–1 defeat of Charlton Athletic
, replacing Alan Smith. Over the next two seasons, Johnson only made sporadic appearances for Leeds and was loaned to several clubs for first team experience.
In June 2005, he left Leeds and signed for Darlington
on a free transfer where he enjoyed regular first team football, but fell out of favour under manager Dave Penney after nearly signing for Wycombe Wanderers
. He joined Hereford United on 8 August 2007, initially on a short term contract, which was later extended. In his first season at Edgar Street he was used mainly as a winger and made little impact until he scored a last minute equaliser against Wycombe in December 2007. He made his first league start of the season in the following match, and featured regularly for the remainder of the season as Hereford won promotion to League One
. He notably scored an inspirational winner in the FA Cup
against Tranmere Rovers
, to send Hereford into the Fourth Round for the first time in 16 years. He left the club by mutual consent on 21 April 2009.
He was at Bury
on a three month deal. Johnson made his debut as late substitute in a 3–0 lost to Bournemouth. On 12 September 2009, the club website announced that his month to month contract had been terminated.
Hereford United
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional footballer currently playing for Maltese Premier League
Maltese Premier League
The Maltese Premier League, known as BOV Premier League for sponsorship reasons , is the top level league for football in Malta. The league was first competed in 1909...
side Hibernians
Hibernians F.C.
Hibernians F.C. is a Maltese football club hailing from the town of Paola, Malta. It is one of the top football teams in Malta. The club was founded in 1922, but football in Paola, Raħal Ġdid in Maltese, dates back to 1894. The team has a long successful story in its history. Hibernians has always...
, where he plays as an attacking midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Playing career
Johnson was born in West BromwichWest Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
and attended Stuart Bathurst RC High School. He left in year nine and moved to Leeds to start his career at Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, where he was recognised as a tenacious and skillful target man. He signed his first professional contract at Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
in July 2000, but with a number of strikers ahead of him in the pecking order, he was restricted to reserve team football and did not make his senior debut until he was loaned to Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
. In his first match for the Tigers, on 13 August 2002 at Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
, he was brought on as a substitute and scored an 85th minute equaliser which secured a 1–1 draw. Late in the 2002–03 season he made his Premier League debut for Leeds in the 6–1 defeat of Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, replacing Alan Smith. Over the next two seasons, Johnson only made sporadic appearances for Leeds and was loaned to several clubs for first team experience.
In June 2005, he left Leeds and signed for Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
on a free transfer where he enjoyed regular first team football, but fell out of favour under manager Dave Penney after nearly signing for Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
. He joined Hereford United on 8 August 2007, initially on a short term contract, which was later extended. In his first season at Edgar Street he was used mainly as a winger and made little impact until he scored a last minute equaliser against Wycombe in December 2007. He made his first league start of the season in the following match, and featured regularly for the remainder of the season as Hereford won promotion to League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. He notably scored an inspirational winner in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
against Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
, to send Hereford into the Fourth Round for the first time in 16 years. He left the club by mutual consent on 21 April 2009.
He was at Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
on a three month deal. Johnson made his debut as late substitute in a 3–0 lost to Bournemouth. On 12 September 2009, the club website announced that his month to month contract had been terminated.
Honours
BlackpoolBlackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
- Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
winner: 2003–042003-04 in English footballThe 2003-04 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Arsenal completed the entire campaign without losing a single league game....
Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
- Football League TwoFootball League TwoFootball League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
third place: 2007–082007-08 in English footballThe 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...