Marvin Anthony Johnson (born 29 October 1968) is an English former professional

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 spent his entire career at

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...

, playing as a defender.

Playing career

Johnson signed professional terms with Luton Town on 12 November 1986 as an 18-year-old

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

who could also play as either a full back or

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. Johnson made his league debut for Luton on 5 March 1988, in a 2–0 loss against

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

. His career spanned 16 years across the top four league divisions of England, experiencing three relegations and a promotion. Appointed as club

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

during 1995–96, Johnson made a total of 440 appearances for Luton, 373 of which came in the league. Towards the end of his career Johnson was plagued by injuries, and he officially retired from playing in 2003.

Coaching career

In 2002, with Johnson still registered as a player, he was appointed as assistant to youth team manager John Moore. A year later and with Johnson now retired, Moore moved on and Johnson became youth team manager himself, a position he retained until he was released from his contract by Kevin Blackwell in June 2007. During his tenure, he oversaw the development of players such as Curtis Davies,

Leon Barnett Leon Peter Barnett (born 30 November 1985) is an English former professional Association football, footballer. A Defender (association football), defender, he primarily played as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, centre-back, but a ...

and Kevin Foley, who have all since played in the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

. Johnson spent the 2008–09 season as manager of non-league side St Neots Town, though he left the club after a 17th-placed finish in the United Counties Football League Premier Division. On 20 December 2009, Johnson was appointed as the assistant manager of

Conference National The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...

side Kettering Town. Johnson is currently the Director of Coaching at Virginia Revolution Soccer Club and holds a UEFA 'A' license and a UEFA Coaching Level 'B' license.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Marvin 1968 births Living people Footballers from the London Borough of Brent People from Wembley English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Black British sportsmen Luton Town F.C. players English Football League players