The 1920s: Tommy Johnson

Continuing the series on Manchester City in the 1920s here’s a free to read 1100 word article on 1920s City (and 1930s Everton) star Tommy Johnson. Enjoy!

Tommy Johnson was a huge favourite with City supporters throughout his eleven year career with the Blues.  Their love affair with the Dalton-in-Furness born goalscorer was borne out of a tremendous appreciation of his contribution to the Blue cause.  They also recognised that despite the fame and adulation Johnson was from the same background as they were.  For much of his City life he lived in the Gorton area and was often seen in the pubs and clubs talking and mixing with supporters.

In an interview I did with him two decades ago, Johnson’s son Alan remembered his father being a familiar presence in Gorton: “My father was proud of being an ordinary bloke.  The players didn’t get paid large wages and life at times was tough, and I think most of his neighbours and friends understood that he really wasn’t any different from them.  After he’d left City and joined Everton he would sometimes bring Dixie Dean to Gorton and the two of them would sit in the Plough or one of the other pubs chatting away.  In fact Dixie became as well known in the pubs of Gorton as my Dad was!”

Around 1918 City full back Eli Fletcher spotted the promise of Dalton-In-Furness born Johnson when he saw him play.  He contacted the Blues and urged them to sign the exciting 17 year old.  Johnson joined the Blues in February 1919, and he immediately made an impression during that final season of wartime football.

Once the full League programme resumed in August 1919 Johnson had to wait for his opportunity to impress in the First Division.  His chance did not come until the following February, but when it did he scored both goals in City’s 2-0 defeat of Middlesbrough.  It wasn’t however until the 1922-3 season that the striker could be regarded as a regular.  That season he played 35 of City’s 42 League games and scored on 14 occasions.

In 1926 Johnson appeared in the FA Cup final and a few weeks later he made his England debut at inside left against Belgium in Antwerp.  He scored as England won 5-3.  A journalist of the period described him as: “an inside forward with a left foot shot few players have equalled and a penchant for the telling cross-field pass.”  

During 1926-7 Johnson broke the twenty goals a season barrier when he scored 25 in 38 League appearances, including a hat-trick in the 8-0 victory over Bradford on the final day of the season.  The following season he became recognised across the country as a major striker as he managed to score a Club record 38 goals in 39 League appearances.  Five of those goals came in one incredible match with Everton at Goodison when City defeated the home side 6-2.

The following season was to be his last at Maine Road despite his role as the fans’ favourite.  There were plenty of magical moments from Johnson.  The Manchester derby of October 1929 saw one of Johnson’s most memorable performances.  According to the renowned Manchester journalist Ivan Sharpe writing in the Athletic News:  “Johnson should have been a fairly happy man.  He has the credit of making the match come to life.  It was going to pieces early in the second half when Moore thoughtlessly pulled up while appealing for off-side and Johnson – with his right foot – scored and set the game alight.”

The game with United ended in a 3-1 City victory but it also saw one of the more controversial moments of the season when the referee blew for full-time a good two minutes before time was actually up.  This was particularly galling for Johnson as he netted the ball after an amazing run just at the moment the whistle went.  Ivan Sharpe gave his entertaining thoughts on the incident in his match report:  “When Thomas CF Johnson was a boy he dreamed of playing for a First Division team, and like every youngster, of playing at centre-forward.

“On his night of nights he was playing against his own club’s deadly rivals, and over 100,000 eyes were riveted upon him as he darted through the defence – ‘Go on Johnson!’ – dodged this man and that man, drew out the goalkeeper, dribbled the ball round the other side’s last hope and with the roars of the delighted populace acclaiming his performance, rolled the ball through the untenanted goal.  I have not asked him, but I know it’s true, because every schoolboy gets those midnight, alone-I-did-it goals.

“But isn’t it a hard world?  The once-in-a-lifetime goal dribbled around the goalkeeper on the aforesaid deadly rivals’ very own ground all came true in this battle of Manchester, and the referee said the time had expired a moment before the ball had crossed the line!  And that’s not all.  Time had not expired.  My watch and every watch around me – plus the carefully compiled record I invariably keep of the minutes of the passing show – definitely established that the referee was two and a half minutes too soon.  And this is making no allowance whatever for lost time.

“How curious that the referee got in a muddle with his minutes on the day the clock goes back.  He provided the last ‘rows’ of summer!”

The following March, Johnson was transferred to Everton for £6,000.  The supporters were furious.  Petitions were written.  Demonstrations were made, and even a boycott of the Blues was threatened, but there was nothing the fans could do to actually stop the transfer.  City’s average attendance did drop by several thousand however.    

At Everton Johnson won the Second Division Championship and the FA Cup – beating City 3-0 in the final.  A spell at Liverpool followed before he became player-manager of Darwen.

In the late 1940s he became licensee of a pub in Gorton and attended Maine Road regularly.  He purchased his own season ticket for several years.  According to his son Alan, Tommy Johnson was a dedicated City fan:  “At Everton he had a lot of success – he won more trophies than he had in Manchester – but City remained his club.  In fact, after he’d left City he kept coming back to Maine Road and sometimes paid to stand on the Kippax side of the ground.  He was often recognised and was usually congratulated simply for being ‘Tosh’ Johnson!”

Johnson passed away in 1973 at the age of 71.  Four years later Manchester City Council named part of a new Moss Side housing development ‘Tommy Johnson Walk’ in his honour close to Maine Road.