Lindsay Johnson

For the Australian rugby player, see Lindsay Johnson (rugby league).

Lindsay Johnson
Personal information
Date of birth (1980-05-08) 8 May 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth Hartlepool, England
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1]
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Coventry City
2001–2003 Liverpool Ladies
2003–2015 Everton Ladies
International career‡
2004–2010 England 43 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 08:56, 28 March 2011 (UTC)

Lindsay Johnson (born 8 May 1980) is an English former footballer who played for Everton Ladies and the England women's national football team. Johnson was a fast and versatile defender, with the ability to play in any of the defensive positions.[2]

Early life

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Johnson was born in Hartlepool.[3] She was educated at Fens Primary School, Manor College of Technology, and Hartlepool Sixth Form College.[4] Her interest in sport in general began at a very early age. At the age of six years, she began athletics training, although was not allowed to compete until the age of eight years.[5] She went on to represent her county at 200m and the long jump and also represented her county at hockey and netball.[5]

Club career

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Johnson's football career began at the age of 11 years when she joined a girls club.[5] She also played for Coventry City on one or two occasions while attending Manchester Metropolitan University.[6] However, her Premier League career began relatively late when she joined Liverpool Ladies, from where she joined Everton Ladies in 2003.[5] Everton fans gave her the nickname "Lindsay Lightning" due to her pace.[7] She played for Everton in their 1–0 FA Women's Cup Final defeat to Charlton Athletic Ladies in 2005, earning the Player of the Match award.[8] She also played in Everton's League Cup win in 2008, beating Arsenal Ladies in the final.[9]

Johnson's loyalty to Everton was rewarded with another two Cup finals in 2010: a 3–1 defeat by Leeds Carnegie in the Premier League Cup, in which Fara Williams scored Everton's consolation,[10] followed by a memorable extra–time win over Arsenal in the FA Women's Cup.[11]

When the 2014 season culminated in Everton's relegation, Johnson postponed her plans to retire and decided to play on for another season in FA WSL 2. In October 2015, she confirmed that Everton's match against Oxford United would be her last. Johnson marked the occasion with a goal in Everton's 5–3 win.[12]

International career

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Johnson represented England at Under-21 level, before making her senior debut against the Netherlands in September 2004.[2] Her performances during the following season's Algarve Cup ensured a regular place in coach Hope Powell's England squad.

Although initially left out of the 2007 World Cup squad, she was included as a late replacement for Steph Houghton, who sustained a fractured fibula in training.[13]

In May 2009, Johnson was one of the first 17 female players to be given central contracts by the Football Association.[14] That August she was named in the squad for the Women's UEFA 2009,[15] her versatility meaning she could provide cover for injury worries Alex Scott and Faye White.[16] She replaced White in the first half of the quarter-final game against Finland[17] and played all of the semi-final extra-time victory against the Netherlands.[18]

Johnson was allotted 153 when the FA announced their legacy numbers scheme to honour the 50th anniversary of England’s inaugural international.[19][20]

Personal life

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Slide-tackling Rosella Ayane of Millwall in March 2015

Johnson, a fan of Newcastle United,[21] was a teacher of PE at The King's Academy, but gave up her teaching career to focus on her football career.[21] She also works as a mentor and trainer for BTEC students studying fitness and sports development at Cardinal Heenan Sports College and as part of this is at the forefront of the SHAPE initiative that aims to promote health and physical activity among young children in central Liverpool.[22] Johnson was at Cardinal Heenan for 17 years and left her position as Assistant Headteacher to join Withington Girls' School as Director of Sport.

Johnson now has a high profile national media career, and is well renowned for her knowledgeable co-comms for national and international women's fixtures.

She is related to Jenny Wilkes, also a footballer; who plays for Newcastle United Women and England at Junior level.[23]

Career statistics

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International goal

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Scores and results list England's goal tally first.

Honours

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Everton
England

References

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  1. ^ "#20 Lindsay Johnson". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Lindsay Johnson". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 3 May 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  3. ^ "Lindsay helps England make Euro final". The Hartlepool Mail. 7 September 2009. Archived from the original on 18 January 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  4. ^ "Town girl goes for Euro glory!". Hartlepool Mail. 8 September 2009. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d "Champion Profile – Lindsay Johnson". Sporting Champions. Retrieved 8 September 2009. [dead link]
  6. ^ Johnson, Lindsay (22 March 2015). "Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 31 March 2015. when I was at university I played 1/2 games for them! #random
  7. ^ "Lindsay set for Euro 2009 warm up". The Hartlepool Mail. 28 February 2009. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  8. ^ "England squad guide". BBC Sport. 3 June 2005. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  9. ^ Chris Young (11 March 2008). "Lindsay's goal more medals". The Hartlepool Mail. Retrieved 8 September 2009.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "'Overwhelmed' White lauds Final effort". The Football Association. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
  11. ^ Peter Lansley (4 May 2010). "Natasha Dowie goals lift family mood as Everton win Women's Cup". The Times. Archived from the original on 30 May 2010. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  12. ^ Philbin, Paul (18 October 2015). "Everton Ladies 5-3 Oxford United Ladies: Match report". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Lindsay Johnson gets England call". The Liverpool Echo. 17 August 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  14. ^ "England Women awarded contracts". BBC Sport. BBC. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  15. ^ "England squad announced for Euro 2009". Fair Game. 5 August 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2009.[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ Tony Leighton (8 September 2009). "Who's who in the England squad facing Germany in the European Championship final". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  17. ^ "Finland women 2–3 England women". BBC Sport. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  18. ^ Marc Vesty (6 September 2009). "England Ladies 2 – 1 Holland Ladies". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  19. ^ "England squad named for World Cup". The Football Association. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  20. ^ Lacey-Hatton, Jack (18 November 2022). "Lionesses introduce 'legacy numbers' for players past and present". mirror. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  21. ^ a b "Interview with Lindsay Johnson". Sporting Champions. Archived from the original on 28 May 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  22. ^ Liam Martindale. "Shaping the future". Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School. Archived from the original on 16 November 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  23. ^ Dan Warburton (7 April 2009). "Newcastle schoolgirl gets an England call-up". JournalLive.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
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