 Johnston (Sunderland) in 1998 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Allan Johnston[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1973-12-14)14 December 1973 (age 51) | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1996 | Heart of Midlothian | 84 | (12) |
| 1996–1997 | Rennes | 23 | (2) |
| 1997–2000 | Sunderland | 87 | (19) |
| 1999 | →Birmingham City (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2000 | →Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 19 | (3) |
| 2000–2001 | Rangers | 14 | (3) |
| 2001–2004 | Middlesbrough | 17 | (1) |
| 2002–2003 | →Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 12 | (2) |
| 2004–2009 | Kilmarnock | 115 | (5) |
| 2009–2010 | St Mirren | 10 | (0) |
| 2010–2013 | Queen of the South | 61 | (7) |
| Total | 450 | (51) | |
| International career | |||
| 1994–1996 | Scotland U21[2] | 3 | (0) |
| 1998 | Scotland B[3] | 2 | (0) |
| 1998–2002 | Scotland | 18 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2012–2013 | Queen of the South[4] | ||
| 2013–2015 | Kilmarnock | ||
| 2015–2019 | Dunfermline Athletic[5] | ||
| 2019–2022 | Queen of the South | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Allan Johnston (born 14 December 1973) is a Scottishfootball player and coach, who was most recently the manager ofQueen of the South. He was the brother of footballerSammy Johnston.
Nicknamed "Magic",[citation needed] Allan Johnston started his professional playing career withHeart of Midlothian and then followed on to French clubRennes before a spell in English football withSunderland before returning to Scotland withRangers. Johnston then returned to England withMiddlesbrough andSheffield Wednesday. Johnston returned to Scotland and played out his playing career withKilmarnock,St Mirren andQueen of the South. Johnston played forScotland 18 times in full internationals, and also played for the Scotlandunder-21 andB international teams.
Johnston started his managerial career in 2012, as player-manager ofQueen of the South. Johnston won theSecond Division championship in his first season as a manager, then moved toKilmarnock. Johnston departedRugby Park after 18 months after a dispute with the club's board about the sale of a player. Johnston was appointed manager ofDunfermline Athletic in 2015, where he won theLeague One Championship in his first season.
Johnston began his career withHeart of Midlothian, becoming a first-team regular in the mid-1990s. In January 1996, Johnston scored his first careerhat-trick, scoring all three goals in a 3–0 win againstRangers atIbrox.[6] Johnston picked up aScottish Cup runners-up medal that season in the defeat to Rangers whereBrian Laudrup dominated the final.
During the summer of 1996, Johnston moved to French clubRennes (Aberdeen defenderGary Smith making the same move), but he left after less than one season.[7]
Johnston finished the season withFA Premier League sideSunderland as they wererelegated to theFootball League First Division. Although Sunderland were defeated in the 1998 play-off final, the club won the title the following season. During the summer of 1999, with just one year left on his contract, Johnston began negotiations about an extension. During this time, interest in Johnston was expressed byRangers and after negotiations broke down with Sunderland, Johnston stated his desire to move toGlasgow. Despite previously being a first-team regular he never appeared for Sunderland in 1999–2000 season and was subsequently loaned toBirmingham City andBolton Wanderers, the latter with whom he appeared in theFA Cup semi-final. However in the semi-final versusAston Villa he was one of two Bolton players to have their penalty saved byDavid James as they crashed out in a shoot-out.[8]
Johnston was the scorer of the final competitive goal at Roker Park in a 3–0 win over Everton in the final home game of the 1996/97 season.[9]
At the end of the 1999–00 season, having not featured for Sunderland in the entire campaign, Johnston moved to Rangers on afree transfer, scoring on his debut in aChampions League qualifying match againstFBK Kaunas.[10] He scored twice more for Rangers, his strikes coming againstHerfolge in anotherChampions League qualifier[11] and Brechin in the Scottish Cup.[12]
Little over twelve months later, in late August 2001 and with the FA Premier League season already underway, Johnston moved toMiddlesbrough in a £600,000 deal, making his debut in the derby defeat toNewcastle United the following weekend. Johnston scored in his second match against West Ham[13] but failed to score again all season, missing February and March due to injury. The following season, Johnston spent much of the season on loan withSheffield Wednesday, scoring twice, having only played in twoLeague Cup matches forBoro, subsequently missing the entire 2003–04 season.
Johnston signed for Kilmarnock in August 2004, reuniting him with former Hearts management teamJim Jefferies andBilly Brown.[14] In April 2007, with his contract about to expire, Johnston agreed a new two-year deal, which wasn't extended upon its expiry in June 2009, resulting in his release fromRugby Park.[15]
On 8 August 2009, Johnston played in a trial match forSt Mirren againstWigan Athletic.[16] After the match, managerGus MacPherson said that he would love to sign him, but felt he might be out of their price range.[17] After making 10 appearances for St Mirren, he was released at the end of the season.
In July 2010 Johnston played as a trialist in four games forDumfries clubQueen of the South. Johnston was then confirmed on the club's website as having signed a one-year contract on 16 July 2010.[18] Johnston's competitive league debut for Queens was on 22 August 2010 when he played in central midfield during a 3–1 away win atCowdenbeath.[19] Johnston scored his first Queens goal in a league win atPalmerston Park versus Partick Thistle on 18 September 2010.[20]
Johnston made 18 appearances forScotland between 1998 and 2002,[21] and was alsocapped atunder–21 level.
Queen of the South announced on 21 June 2011 that Johnston had signed a contract as player coach.[22] On 3 May 2012, Johnston was appointed as Queens newplayer-manager.[4][23] Johnston led Queens to a historic double in his first full season in management, winning theScottish Second Division Championship and theScottish Challenge Cup.[24][25]
Johnston and his assistant,Sandy Clark both signed two-year contracts to joinKilmarnock as the club's new management team on 24 June 2013.[26] Queen of the South receive around £30,000 in compensation.[26] Kilmarnock narrowly avoided relegation in Johnston's first season in charge, winning their last two games to finish above the relegation play-off position. The club performed better in the league during his second season, but in February 2015 Johnston announced his intention to leave the club at the end of the season.[27] He had been upset by the sale ofRobbie Muirhead, which Johnston said had only been advised to him after the transfer window had closed.[27] The Kilmarnock board then decided to remove Johnston from his position immediately.[28]
On 8 May 2015, after three months out of work, Johnston was appointed manager ofScottish League One sideDunfermline Athletic on a one-year contract.[5][29] His first season with the club saw him twice namedScottish League One Manager of the Month,[30][31] guide the Pars to the league title and promotion to theScottish Championship,[32] and additionally, saw the side compete well againstScottish Premiership opposition in both theScottish Cup andScottish League Cup.[33][34] In April 2016, Johnston was rewarded for his achievements with a new two-year contract, keeping him atEast End Park until Summer 2018.[35]
Johnston's first season in the championship saw the club finish in fifth place, four points off the play-off positions.[36] The following season, Dunfermline finished one place better off which saw them contest the quarter-final play-off againstDundee United. After a goalless first leg,[37] the Pars lost the return leg 2–1 atTannadice.[38]
On 22 May 2018, Johnston signed a new two-year contract.[39] In January 2019 Dunfermline were not in contention for a play-off spot. On 9 January the club announced Johnston had been relieved of his duties 4 days afterAlloa Athletic scored a 94th minute equaliser against Dunfermline after Dunfermline having been 2-0 ahead.[40]
On 5 May 2019, soon after Queens ended their league campaign in the2018–19 Scottish Championship relegation play-off position, theDoonhamers appointed Johnston and his assistant,Sandy Clark on a two-year contract for their second spell at theDumfries club ahead of the play-off matches versusMontrose.[41][42]
On 16 April 2021, Johnston and Clark signed a contract extension to remain as the Queen of the South management team until May 2023.[43] On 13 February 2022, Johnston and Clark departed the Doonhamers by mutual consent(4 wins in 24 matches) as theDumfries club languished in the automatic relegation place in theScottish Championship.[44]
His son,Max is also a footballer (aMotherwell youth product, he made his senior debut in 2021); elder brotherSammy Johnston also played professionally forSt Johnstone andPartick Thistle among others.[45]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 1998 | 2 | 0 |
| 1999 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2000 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 18 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 June 1999[46] | Svangaskard,Toftir, Faroe Islands |  Faroe Islands | 1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 2 | 9 June 1999[47] | Generali Arena,Prague, Czech Republic |  Czech Republic | 2–0 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying |
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Queen of the South | 3 May 2012 | 25 June 2013 | 47 | 35 | 7 | 5 | 074.47 | |
| Kilmarnock | 25 June 2013 | 6 February 2015 | 66 | 20 | 10 | 36 | 030.30 | |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 8 May 2015 | 9 January 2019 | 168 | 79 | 44 | 45 | 047.02 | |
| Queen of the South | 7 May 2019 | 12 February 2022 | 104 | 30 | 26 | 48 | 028.85 | |
| Total | 385 | 164 | 87 | 134 | 042.60 | — | ||
Sunderland
Queen of the South
Individual
Queen of the South
Dunfermline Athletic
Queen of the South
Dunfermline Athletic
