Brian Johnson (born 21 October 1955) is an English retired

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a winger. He made 197 appearances in

the 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, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

for

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...

, scoring 40 goals, and a further seven while on loan at

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...

. He began his career as an apprentice with

before making his

first team First team may refer to: Sports * First team (association football), the colloquial name given to the most senior team fielded by a football club * The First Team, the first players known to have played the sport of basketball * First Team All-A ...

debut in August 1973 at the age of 17."Brian Johnson"
Greens on Screen. Retrieved 25 June 2010. A key member of the side that won promotion to 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 ...

in 1975, alongside the strike-duo of

Paul Mariner Paul Mariner (22 May 1953 – 9 July 2021) was an English Association football, football player and Coach (sport), coach. A centre forward during his playing days, Mariner began his career with Chorley F.C., Chorley. He became a professional p ...

and

Billy Rafferty William Henry Rafferty (born 30 December 1950) is a Scottish retired footballer who played as a forward. He appeared in the Football League for Coventry City, Blackpool, Plymouth Argyle, Carlisle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Newcastle United, ...

, he was considered to be a reliable and consistent performer throughout his stay with the Pilgrims. During a reserve team game in 1981, Johnson was knocked unconscious in a collision with teammate Neil Hards. He suffered a fractured cheekbone and damage to both eyes, which required surgery and his jawbone to be wired up. He resumed training four weeks later, but during his second loan stint with

he experienced severe pain when heading the ball. Rather than risk permanent blindness, Johnson retired at the age of 26. Johnson made 231 appearances in all competitions for Plymouth Argyle between 1973 and 1981, scoring 43 goals. During his two loan stints with Torquay United, Johnson scored two goals in seven appearances."Brian Johnson"
Neil Brown. Retrieved 12 December 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Brian 1955 births Living people Footballers from the London Borough of Hounslow People from Isleworth English men's footballers Men's association football wingers Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Torquay United F.C. players English Football League players