In the 12th part of our regular series, The Ex-Files, Blair Ferguson catches up with 1991/92 Second Division title winner Gavin Johnson.
Stowmarket-born Johnson started his career as he is now finishing it, playing for local teams.
He kicked off with one season at Stow Falcons before moving on to playing at Jewsons, along with future Southampton, West Ham and England U21s man Richard Hall and Adrian Pennock, who went on to play for Norwich and Gillingham.
Aged seven he got to begin his dream of playing for his local club as he joined Ipswich’s youth set-up and he recalls the coaches who started his development.
"In my first year in the building Peter Trevivian was the youth team coach, and then he stepped up to help the manager John Duncan. Then Bryan Klug came in and was my coach in the second year, so my early development at the club came through Bryan and Peter.”
Eleven years later came Johnson’s chance in the first team under Duncan as the Scot handed him his debut in a February 1989 2-0 home victory over Barnsley, something he relished as a Town supporter.
"It was a privilege at 18 years old to get to play for your hometown club which was just down the road. It was fantastic. Most young lads dream about playing for their local club and I really enjoyed it.
"John Duncan was the first manager I came under as a first-team player, so I was grateful that he gave me the opportunity to play first-team football and gave me a chance when I was 18, but things didn’t really work out well for him.”
Coming through the ranks at that time wasn’t easy given the physical nature of the game, something he says has changed in the intervening years.
"There would be people who would try and intimidate you and you had to try and look after yourself as best you could.
"There are certainly not the same challenges going in now as there were years ago, but it’s still very hard for a young lad to come into a team and stay there.
"That’s why they often come in for a few games get rested then come back in again. It’s hard for a young lad to come in and dominate for long spells.”
The departure of John Duncan saw the arrival of John Lyall, a manager Johnson speaks of fondly in his familiar Suffolk tones.
He clearly loved life under the former West Ham boss: "It was brilliant. Although I was grateful for John Duncan, Lyall came in and he was a fantastic coach and manager and from day one he got everyone going.
"His knowledge of the game was second to none, he was the best manager I ever played under, he made it a really good time to play at Ipswich.”
With the guidance of John Lyall and Mick McGiven Ipswich won the old Second Division title in 1991/92.
Johnson recalls: "John and Mick got everyone going and working exactly how they wanted them to, we all worked really well together and the whole feeling was fantastic.”
Everything came together away at Oxford when Town finally won the league, a game Johnson recalls well as he got one of his 15 Town goals that day: "We got a draw that day, I got an equaliser with the head, I think it was from a Stevie Whitton freekick that day.
Prompted about the "crazy evening” that followed Johnson continued: "The whole lot of us ended up in the pub, Alan Brazil’s old place, the Black Adder. The place was ram-packed and the supporters would sing your name and you would have to get up and sing a song and everyone was joining in, it was a brilliant night.”
The Second Division trophy was handed over at Portman Road prior to the final game of the season against Brighton, with the 3-1 victory — he scored again - a highlight of Johnson’s Ipswich career.
"We put the hard work in and we were determined to go out and enjoy it that day but we needed to put on a show, I think there was 26,000 at the game, we needed to go out and put on a real show for everyone to thank them for their support.
"The pitch invasion at the end was quite scary at the time when everyone came in from everywhere, it was one of those things that you never forget."
The next topic on the agenda was goals, more specifically Johnson’s favourites. This took us to the first day of that next campaign, the first ever Premier League season and the visit of Aston Villa.
"We weren’t sure what to expect when we were going up to the top league, John had brought one or two players in and we were stronger but we still weren’t sure.
"But we got a draw with Villa and it was a good start to the season. I got a half-volley, which was probably the sweetest I’ve ever hit a volley, and looking back now I’d say it was the best goal I ever scored.
"At the time you don’t realise but looking back at it to score in the Premier League is a fantastic achievement and another one of those days that don’t forget.”
"We played them on a Sunday lunchtime at home, and we had chances to win it that day but we didn’t do it.
"We went up to Anfield and put on a really good display but we went 1-0 down. I equalised quite late on with a header, then we took the lead in extra-time and Liverpool got the winner, but in the two games we put on a real good show.
"It was fantastic, I don’t know how many thousands of people were there but the atmosphere was superb, it was special to play in front of them.
"I’ll never forget, it was a great cross from Stevie Whitton and I got on the end of it, put it past Bruce Grobberlaar with a good header.”
Although a memorable header there was still one that trumped it, one from outside the penalty area in a Premier League game against Manchester City.
"Yeah, that was a good header! It was getting towards the edge of the area, if not outside the area, and the ball came out and I got my neck muscles to it and it went flying in. The manager of Old Newton where I’m playing just now is a Man City fan so I like to remind him now and again.”
Despite having a good career at Ipswich much of Johnson’s time at the club was plagued by injury and Town wasn’t the only club where he would spend time on the treatment table.
He explained: "I first did my cruciate ligament in my left knee when John Duncan was still in charge, and I was out for six months having had it reconstructed.
"Then my right knee went on the last day of the [1992/93] season, against Nottingham Forest I think, and I had to have that reconstructed, so I was missing big chunks of my football at the time which is really disappointing when you are playing football at a high level.
"I had plenty injuries later on as well! I broke my leg twice later on when I was at Colchester. I broke my leg in a game at Port Vale and about six months down the line I broke it again in training. So I was out about 15 months with what should have been a routine three to six months out, it was a real test.”
After six years in the first-team squad, the time came for Johnson to leave his boyhood club, although he says never wanted to go.
"He got rid of one or two and unfortunately I was one of them. I was gutted, I didn’t want to leave the Town but I had to go.”
The years that followed saw Johnson play for 11 different clubs at all levels of the game where his Ipswich connections helped him along the way, as he explains.
"I had a brief spell at Luton for six months and then I went up to Wigan. We had a very good squad there, and John Deehan was manager.
"We won what is League Two now, we were going along with Fulham for the title and we beat them to it and that was a real good time for Wigan, which was a small club at the time. They were loyal though, about three or four thousand turned out every week.
At Colchester
"After Wigan I went up to Scotland for a year [at Dunfermline] and then came back and had six years at Colchester.
"Steve Whitton the former Town player was manager. They were struggling then, I think they had been left in a bit of a mess by the previous manager and he needed to get some players in so he got myself and Neil Gregory.
"He got some players he knew around him and we fought tooth and nail because everyone thought we were going to get relegated but we all stuck together and got out of that and it was an enjoyable time.
With Northampton
"Steve Whitton left and Phil Parkinson took over and I left Colchester and went to Boston but things didn’t work out at all well there, so I was only there for two or three months.
"John Deehan was one of Colin Calderwood’s assistants at Northampton and I got the call and went there and we won League Two again that season.”
Despite having three league titles to his name the 43-year-old agency driver still plays football, having left Needham Market at the end of last season to join Old Newton in the SIL Premier Division.
With his final league club Oxford in 2006/07
Clearly a man who loves to play the game, Johnson explains why he’s still going, and hopes to continue into next season.
"During the course of my career I missed chunks through serious injuries and when you’re sitting on the sidelines watching games it really gets to you.
"I want to keep playing for as long as I can, physically I feel OK at the moment and I’ve been lucky to play for Bury Town, Walsham, Needham and Old Newton, four very good clubs locally and hopefully I’ll be alright to play next season. I’m 43 now but as long as I feel OK I’ll keep going.”
You can read all the previous Ex-Files here.