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My Best Town XI: Gavin Johnson - Ipswich Town News

In part 25 of the series, Kieron Dyer catches up with Gavin Johnson, who selects the best XI from his time playing for Town before Dyer assesses his side.

Goalkeeper Craig Forrest - All-round good keeper.

Right-back Mick Stockwell - Clever footballer, would play anywhere for the team.

Left-back Neil Thompson - Powerhouse,no half measures.

Centre-half John Wark - Not bad for an old boy.

Centre-half David Linighan (c) - Fantastic leader on the pitch.

Centre midfield Geraint Williams - Hard as nails and could play.

4-4—2

ForrestStockwellThompsonLinighanWarkWilliamsDozzellMiltonJohnsonGoddardKiwomya

Centre midfield Jason Dozzell - Unplayable at times, had great vision, could create and score goals. As good as I played with in my career.

Right midfield Simon Milton - Silky skills, creative and real team player.

Left midfield Gavin Johnson - Busy covering Thommo, occasionally nicking a goal at the far post.

Striker Paul Goddard - Linked the team together, was always available to receive the ball.

Striker Chris Kiwomya - Had a great understanding with Dozz, pace and goals.

Kieron’s View

Gav’s stuck to basically the 1991/92 Second Division promotion-winning team, it’s the same back four as Neil Thompson picked.

He’s named himself in the team and rightly so. He had some great landmarks at the football club, it was his goal at Oxford that got us promoted 28 years ago this weekend, he was the first player to score in the Premier League for Ipswich Town as well and obviously scored that great goal in the FA Cup replay at Anfield.

As a player who has played at Anfield a few times, it is the hardest ground to play football at. I never played well there. It was my bogey ground but it wasn’t for Gavin Johnson that night. That was more than "nicking a goal at the far post".

I know it’s a cliche to say the fans are the 12th man but when you see Liverpool’s European nights, like when they were 4-0 down to Barcelona and won, it is the most, I wouldn’t say intimidating ground as such, but they’re on top of you and it’s not the biggest pitch in the world.

I must have played there 10 or 11 times, something like that and I have never ever performed well there.

And even when George Burley did his team, he said that that great Ipswich team never won at Anfield either, so it just goes to show you how hard a place it is to go and play well.

But I remember the goal Gav scored at Anfield, so he should put himself in the team.

I have played with him, he always has a big bandage wrapped round his knee so he must have some dodgy knees, but he could still play a bit, a great lad and deserving a place in his team.

He’s left Steve Whitton out from the promotion side and he’s got himself, Milts, Dozzer and Geraint Williams - the only one not to play in the 1991/92 season - in midfield. Romeo Zondervan may feel a bit hard done by not to be included.

A bit like Cole Skuse, all the players who have played with George, as Williams is known to everyone, have him in their teams, which speaks volumes about what they give to a side.

And when you’ve got George sitting in midfield that gives Jason the freedom to go forward and he scored loads of goals, he’s in the top 10 of all time at the club with 72. Only John Wark and Tommy Parker have scored more from midfield.

I still think it’s remarkable that he played in the first team when he was at school. When I was in my last year at school I weighed about seven and a half stone. It blows my mind that someone who was 16 could play in the first team. Another proper Ipswich Town legend.

Paul Goddard was so good with his back to play. When you think of players who are good with their back to play you usually think of bigger players like Ian Marshall or James Scowcroft, but Paul Goddard was my youth team manager and he used to join in training sometimes and he was incredible with his back to goal, it always used to stick, he was great at link-up play.

Probably the most recent player we’ve had like that was probably Pablo Couñago. You wouldn’t say he was massive and tall, but he was so strong with his back to play.

Paul Goddard played for some big clubs, West Ham and Newcastle, played for England and I do like the strike force with him alongside Chris Kiwomya. Sarge is the link player and Chris doesn’t want it to feet, he wants to use his pace and get in behind. That combination worked well for Ipswich for a few years.

Chris will be pleased he’s been included in another team, but he’s still sulking that bad about being left out of Geraint Williams’s that he’s still not sent his team in, George has clearly upset him!

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