Allan Johnston (born 14 December 1973) is a Scottish
football player and coach, who was most recently the manager of
Queen of the South.
Johnston started his professional playing career with
Heart of Midlothian and then followed on to French club
Rennes before a spell in English football with
Sunderland before returning to Scotland with
Rangers. Johnston then returned to England with
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
and
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
. Johnston returned to Scotland and played out his playing career with
Kilmarnock,
St Mirren and
Queen of the South. Johnston played for
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
18 times in full internationals, and also played for the Scotland
under-21 and
B international teams.
Johnston started his managerial career in 2012, as player-manager of
Queen of the South. Johnston won the
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
championship in his first season as a manager, then moved to
Kilmarnock. Johnston departed
Rugby Park
Rugby Park, also known as The BBSP Stadium Rugby Park for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium situated in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock. It was first used in 1899 and is the home of Kilmarnock F.C. Rugby Park has also been used for co ...
after 18 months after a dispute with the club's board about the sale of a player. Johnston was appointed manager of
Dunfermline Athletic
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...
in 2015, where he won the
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
Championship in his first season.
Playing career
Club
Heart of Midlothian
Johnston began his career with
Heart of Midlothian, becoming a first-team regular in the mid-1990s. In January 1996, Johnston scored his first career
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
, scoring all three goals in a 3–0 win against
Rangers at
Ibrox. Johnston picked up a
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,[Brian Laudrup
Brian Laudrup (, born 22 February 1969) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a winger, forward or as a midfielder, and was regarded as one of the most talented players of his generation. He currently works as a football co ...](_blank)
dominated the final.
Rennes
During the summer of 1996, Johnston moved to French club
Rennes (
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
defender
Gary Smith making the same move), but he left after less than one season.
Sunderland
Johnston finished the season with
FA Premier League side
Sunderland as they were
relegated
In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
to the
Football League First Division. Although Sunderland were defeated in the 1998 play-off final, the club won the title the following season. During the summer of 1999, with just one year left on his contract, Johnston began negotiations about an extension. During this time, interest in Johnston was expressed by
Rangers and after negotiations broke down with Sunderland, Johnston stated his desire to move to
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. Despite previously being a first-team regular he never appeared for Sunderland in 1999–2000 season and was subsequently loaned to
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...
and
Bolton Wanderers, the latter with whom he appeared in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
semi-final. However in the semi-final versus
Aston Villa he was one of two Bolton players to have their penalty saved by
David James as they crashed out in a shoot-out.
Johnston was the scorer of the final competitive goal at Roker Park in a 3–0 win over Everton in the final home game of the 1996/97 season.
Rangers
At the end of the 1999–00 season, having not featured for Sunderland in the entire campaign, Johnston moved to Rangers on a
free transfer, scoring on his debut in a
Champions League qualifying match against
FBK Kaunas
Kauno futbolo ir beisbolo klubas, commonly known as FBK Kaunas, was a Lithuanian football club from the city of Kaunas.
History
Banga Kaunas (1960–1993)
Originally the team was founded in 1960 as Banga Kaunas and played its first three years ...
. He scored twice more for Rangers, his strikes coming against
Herfolge in another
Champions League qualifier and Brechin in the Scottish Cup.
Middlesbrough
Little over twelve months later, in late August 2001 and with the FA Premier League season already underway, Johnston moved to
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
in a £600,000 deal, making his debut in the derby defeat to
Newcastle United the following weekend. Johnston scored in his second match against West Ham but failed to score again all season, missing February and March due to injury. The following season, Johnston spent much of the season on loan with
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
, scoring twice, having only played in two
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
matches for ''Boro'', subsequently missing the entire 2003–04 season.
Kilmarnock
Johnston signed for Kilmarnock in August 2004, reuniting him with former Hearts management team
Jim Jefferies and
Billy Brown. In April 2007, with his contract about to expire, Johnston agreed a new two-year deal, which wasn't extended upon its expiry in June 2009, resulting in his release from
Rugby Park
Rugby Park, also known as The BBSP Stadium Rugby Park for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium situated in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock. It was first used in 1899 and is the home of Kilmarnock F.C. Rugby Park has also been used for co ...
.
St Mirren
On 8 August 2009, Johnston played in a trial match for
St Mirren against
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
. After the match, manager
Gus MacPherson
Angus Ian MacPherson (born 11 October 1968) is a Scottish football former player and coach.
MacPherson's playing career saw spells at Rangers, Exeter City, Kilmarnock, Dunfermline Athletic and St Mirren.
His management career began at his ...
said that he would love to sign him, but felt he might be out of their price range. After making 10 appearances for St Mirren, he was released at the end of the season.
Queen of the South
In July 2010 Johnston played as a trialist in four games for
Dumfries club
Queen of the South. Johnston was then confirmed on the club's website as having signed a one-year contract on 16 July 2010. Johnston's competitive league debut for Queens was on 22 August 2010 when he played in central midfield during a 3–1 away win at
Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 189 ...
. Johnston scored his first Queens goal in a league win at
Palmerston Park
Palmerston Park is a football stadium on Terregles Street in Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is the home ground of Scottish League One club Queen of the South, who have played there since 1919. South of Scotland League club He ...
versus Partick Thistle on 18 September 2010.
International
Johnston made 18 appearances for
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
between 1998 and 2002,
[ and was also ]capped
In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the ea ...
at under–21 level.
Coaching career
Queen of the South (first spell)
Queen of the South announced on 21 June 2011 that Johnston had signed a contract as player coach. On 3 May 2012, Johnston was appointed as Queens new player-manager
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the s ...
.["QOS unveil New Manager"](_blank)
qosfc.com 3 May 2012 Johnston led Queens to a historic double in his first full season in management, winning the Scottish Second Division
The Scottish Football League Second Division was the third tier of the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013.
History
The Second Division was created in 1975, as part of a wider reconstruction of the Scottish Football League (SFL ...
Championship and the Scottish Challenge Cup.
Kilmarnock
Johnston and his assistant, Sandy Clark
Alexander "Sandy" Clark (born 28 October 1956) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who is currently manager of Lowland League side East Stirlingshire.
Career
Clark played for several clubs in his playing career incl ...
both signed two-year contracts to join Kilmarnock as the club's new management team on 24 June 2013. Queen of the South receive around £30,000 in compensation. Kilmarnock narrowly avoided relegation in Johnston's first season in charge, winning their last two games to finish above the relegation play-off position. The club performed better in the league during his second season, but in February 2015 Johnston announced his intention to leave the club at the end of the season. He had been upset by the sale of Robbie Muirhead, which Johnston said had only been advised to him after the transfer window had closed. The Kilmarnock board then decided to remove Johnston from his position immediately.
Dunfermline Athletic
On 8 May 2015, after three months out of work, Johnston was appointed manager of Scottish League One
The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was ...
side Dunfermline Athletic
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...
on a one-year contract. His first season with the club saw him twice named Scottish League One Manager of the Month, guide the Pars to the league title and promotion to the Scottish Championship
The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish Champio ...
, and additionally, saw the side compete well against Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...
opposition in both the Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,[Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...](_blank)
. In April 2016, Johnston was rewarded for his achievements with a new two-year contract, keeping him at East End Park
East End Park, currently named KDM Group East End Park for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium situated in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland with a seating capacity of .
The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Championship ...
until Summer 2018.
Johnston's first season in the championship saw the club finish in fifth place, four points off the play-off positions. The following season, Dunfermline finished one place better off which saw them contest the quarter-final play-off against Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
. After a goalless first leg, the Pars lost the return leg 2–1 at Tannadice. On 22 May 2018, Johnston signed a new two-year contract. In January 2019 Dunfermline were not in contention for a play-off spot. On 9 January the club announced Johnston had been relieved of his duties 4 days after Alloa Athletic
Alloa Athletic Football Club is a Scottish association football semi-professional club based in the town of Alloa, Clackmannanshire.
Formed as Alloa in 1880, the football club shortly changed its name to Alloa Association, and then to Alloa Ath ...
scored a 94th minute equaliser against Dunfermline after Dunfermline having been 2-0 ahead.
Queen of the South (second spell)
On 5 May 2019, soon after Queens ended their league campaign in the 2018–19 Scottish Championship relegation play-off position, the ''Doonhamers'' appointed Johnston and his assistant, Sandy Clark
Alexander "Sandy" Clark (born 28 October 1956) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who is currently manager of Lowland League side East Stirlingshire.
Career
Clark played for several clubs in his playing career incl ...
on a two-year contract for their second spell at the Dumfries club ahead of the play-off matches versus Montrose.
On 16 April 2021, Johnston and Clark signed a contract extension to remain as the Queen of the South management team until May 2023.
On 13 February 2022, Johnston and Clark departed the Doonhamers by mutual consent ''(4 wins in 24 matches)'' as the Dumfries club languished in the automatic relegation place in the Scottish Championship
The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish Champio ...
.
Personal life
His son Max Johnston is also a footballer (a Motherwell youth product, he made his senior debut in 2021); elder brother Sammy Johnston also played professionally for St Johnstone and Partick Thistle among others.
Career statistics
International appearances
:''Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Johnston goal.''
Managerial record
Honours and achievements
Player
Sunderland
* Football League First Division: 1998–99
Queen of the South
*Scottish Second Division
The Scottish Football League Second Division was the third tier of the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013.
History
The Second Division was created in 1975, as part of a wider reconstruction of the Scottish Football League (SFL ...
: 2012–13
* Scottish Challenge Cup: 2012–13
Individual
* PFA Team of the Year: 1998–99 First Division
Manager
Queen of the South
*Scottish Second Division
The Scottish Football League Second Division was the third tier of the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013.
History
The Second Division was created in 1975, as part of a wider reconstruction of the Scottish Football League (SFL ...
: 2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
* Scottish Challenge Cup: 2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
*Scottish Championship
The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish Champio ...
play-offs: 2018–19
Dunfermline Athletic
*Scottish League One
The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was ...
: 2015–16
Individual
Queen of the South
*PFA Scotland Manager of the Year
The PFA Scotland Manager of the Year is awarded by the Professional Footballers' Association Scotland to the football manager in Scottish football who is seen to have been the best manager over the previous season. The award replaced, and is consid ...
: 2012–13
*Scottish Second Division Manager of the Year 2012–13
Dunfermline Athletic
* SPFL Championship Manager of the Month: August 2017
* SPFL League One Manager of the Month: December 2015, March 2016
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Allan
1973 births
Association football midfielders
Birmingham City F.C. players
Bolton Wanderers F.C. players
Dunfermline Athletic F.C. managers
Expatriate footballers in France
Heart of Midlothian F.C. players
Kilmarnock F.C. managers
Kilmarnock F.C. players
Ligue 1 players
Living people
Middlesbrough F.C. players
Premier League players
Queen of the South F.C. managers
Queen of the South F.C. players
Rangers F.C. players
Scotland B international footballers
Scotland international footballers
Scotland under-21 international footballers
Scottish expatriate footballers
Scottish Football League managers
Scottish Football League players
Scottish football managers
Scottish footballers
Scottish Premier League players
Scottish Professional Football League managers
Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
Footballers from Glasgow
St Mirren F.C. players
Stade Rennais F.C. players
Sunderland A.F.C. players
English Football League players