Gary Jack Johnson (born 14 September 1959) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a forward in

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for Aldershot,

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

and Chelsea. He also played in South Africa.

Career

A forward, Johnson began his career in the Chelsea youth system in 1970. He signed his first professional contract in September 1977 and scored 9 goals in 22 appearances, before his surprise departure to

Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

club

in December 1980. After arriving at

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...

in a £30,000 double-deal with Lee Frost, Johnson lacked the pace and presence to establish himself at the club and leg injuries suffered in a car crash during the 1982 off-season effectively ended his career with the club. Johnson was released by Brentford at the end of the 1982–83 season, after making 65 appearances and scoring 14 goals during -years at Griffin Park. After a spell with Plate Glass Rangers in South Africa, Johnson returned to England to join

Fourth Division Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

club Aldershot in August 1985. Over the course of three seasons at the Recreation Ground, Johnson made 75 league appearances and scored 20 goals and closed out his career in

non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

with Leatherhead.

Personal life

Johnson is a London taxi driver. In December 2016, as the United Kingdom football sexual abuse scandal evolved, Johnson waived his right to anonymity and claimed he had been abused from the age of 13 by Chelsea's then-chief

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

, Eddie Heath. It was reported that in July 2015, he had been paid £50,000 by Chelsea not to go public with the allegations. Chelsea apologised "profusely" to Johnson, who demanded further financial compensation from the club.

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Gary English men's footballers English Football League players 1959 births Living people Chelsea F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Aldershot F.C. players Leatherhead F.C. players Expatriate men's soccer players in South Africa Men's association football forwards Footballers from Peckham English expatriates in South Africa Isthmian League players