Steve Johnson (English footballer)
Encyclopedia
Steve Johnson is a former English
professional footballer who played as a striker. He played in The Football League
for six different clubs and also played in non-league football and abroad.
and Altrincham
before being signed by Football League
side Bury
in November 1977. He spent six years at Gigg Lane
and then had a relatively short spell with Rochdale
before moving to Wigan Athletic
in February 1984. 13 months later Johnson joined Bristol City
for £40,000, but he could not settle in the area and returned north by rejoining Rochdale on loan and then reuniting with his former Wigan manager Harry McNally
at Chester City
in March 1986 in a further loan deal.
Johnson’s aerial power was a welcome asset to Chester’s attack and he scored six times in the final 10 games of the season to seal promotion from Division Four
. Johnson then spent two years with Scunthorpe until he joined Chester on a permanent basis ahead of the 1988–89 season
. He played regularly alongside Carl Dale
in the Chester attack as they narrowly missed the Third Division play–offs. During his spell at Chester, his all action playing style earned him the nickname 'Mean Machine'. After spending the summer months playing in Scandinavia
, Johnson joined Rochdale
for a third time to bring the curtain down on his league career.
He later played for Limerick
, where he made a scoring League of Ireland
debut on the 1st of September 1990, and in October 1990 he made one league appearance for Cork City. He also played for non-league teams Northwich Victoria
, Radcliffe Borough
, Castleton Gabriels
, Caernarfon Town
and Haslingden
, while working as a financial advisor.
He is the son of Christina Murphy and nephew of Joe Murphy a street trader in Liverpool town centre.
Football League Fourth Division
runners-up: 1985–86
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 who played as a striker. He played in The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
for six different clubs and also played in non-league football and abroad.
Playing career
Johnson played non-league football for Bangor CityBangor City F.C.
Bangor City Football Club are a semi-professional Welsh football club from the City of Bangor. The club compete in the Welsh Premier League, being ever present since the league was founded in 1992....
and Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
before being signed by Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
side 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...
in November 1977. He spent six years at Gigg Lane
Gigg Lane
Gigg Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Bury, Greater Manchester, England. Historically within Lancashire, it was built for Bury F.C. in 1885, and has been their home ever since.-History:...
and then had a relatively short spell with Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
before moving to Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
in February 1984. 13 months later Johnson joined Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
for £40,000, but he could not settle in the area and returned north by rejoining Rochdale on loan and then reuniting with his former Wigan manager Harry McNally
Harry McNally
Harry McNally was a football player, coach and manager, noted for his spells as manager of Wigan Athletic and Chester City.-The Non-League Background:...
at Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
in March 1986 in a further loan deal.
Johnson’s aerial power was a welcome asset to Chester’s attack and he scored six times in the final 10 games of the season to seal promotion from Division Four
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
. Johnson then spent two years with Scunthorpe until he joined Chester on a permanent basis ahead of the 1988–89 season
1988-89 in English football
The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...
. He played regularly alongside Carl Dale
Carl Dale
Carl Dale is a Welsh former professional footballer. He remains a cult favourite among the fans of his former teams.-Club career:...
in the Chester attack as they narrowly missed the Third Division play–offs. During his spell at Chester, his all action playing style earned him the nickname 'Mean Machine'. After spending the summer months playing in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, Johnson joined Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
for a third time to bring the curtain down on his league career.
He later played for Limerick
Limerick F.C.
Limerick Football Club is an association football club based in Limerick, Ireland. The club currently play in the First Division of the League of Ireland. The first Limerick FC was founded in 1937 and has had a number of guises through its history, known at different times as Limerick FC, Limerick...
, where he made a scoring League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
debut on the 1st of September 1990, and in October 1990 he made one league appearance for Cork City. He also played for non-league teams Northwich Victoria
Northwich Victoria F.C.
Northwich Victoria Football Club are an English football club who play at the Victoria Stadium in Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of the English football league system.Northwich are an old club, founded in 1874 and named in honour of...
, Radcliffe Borough
Radcliffe Borough F.C.
Radcliffe Borough F.C. is an English football club based in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester. The club was formed on 24 April 1949 and currently plays in the Northern Premier League Division One North...
, Castleton Gabriels
Castleton Gabriels F.C.
Rochdale Town F.C. are an English football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Castleton Sports Centre, in Castleton, Rochdale, which has a capacity of 1,500. They were originally known as St Gabriels and then Castleton Gabriels, before adopting their present...
, Caernarfon Town
Caernarfon Town F.C.
Caernarfon Town F.C. is a football team, playing in the Cymru Alliance. The club ia nicknamed The Canaries because of its yellow and green strip. Caernarfon Town plays at The Oval, Caernarfon, Gwynedd.-History:...
and Haslingden
Haslingden F.C.
Haslingden F.C. was a football club based in Rossendale, Lancashire. In 1994, they won the North West Counties Football League Division Two. Haslingden played at Ewood Bridge, later used by Stand Athletic and were members of the North West Counties League between 1993 and 1998...
, while working as a financial advisor.
He is the son of Christina Murphy and nephew of Joe Murphy a street trader in Liverpool town centre.
Honours
Chester CityFootball League Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
runners-up: 1985–86
1985-86 in English football
The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The championship crown went to Liverpool for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to...