OTD: ALLAN JOHNSTON HAT-TRICK

On this day in 1998, Allan Johnston scored all three of our goals as we beat Huddersfield Town 3-2 away from home in the First Division.

Johnston began his career in Edinburgh with Heart of Midlothian and would spend six years at Tynecastle, scoring a hat-trick against Rangers and losing out in a Scottish Cup final (also against Rangers) along the way. A brief spell at French side Rennes followed before he made a return to the United Kingdom, coming to Sunderland in March 1997.

Unfortunately, his addition wasn’t enough to see us avoid relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the season, after a 1-0 defeat away to Wimbledon. However, in the penultimate game of the campaign he scored the final ever competitive goal at Roker Park as we smashed Everton 3-0. Johnston headed home a Chris Waddle cross in the 68th minute in what was also his first of 20 goals for Sunderland.

The following season ended in play-off final heartbreak on penalties but Johnston would score 11 goals, which included a hat-trick vs Huddersfield, a last minute equaliser at the Stadium of Light against Birmingham City and a late winner as we beat Portsmouth 2-1.

In the 1998/99 season, in which we earned a huge 105 points in the First Division and won the title, he formed a great partnership with Mickey Gray. ‘Magic’, as he was called by Sunderland fans, this time around managed eight goals. His final competitive goal in a Sunderland shirt came in April 1999 in a routine 2-0 win as we hosted Huddersfield.

Johnston’s final game for SAFC was also the last game of the season, a 2-1 victory versus Birmingham. Despite him playing well, being a fan favourite and even scoring twice for Scotland in June 1999, he was frozen out of the squad for the next season in the Premier League. Peter Reid’s reasoning for doing this was because he had had bad experiences with players going into the final years of their contracts in the past.

As such, he spent the 1999/00 season out on loan, first at Birmingham City in the First Division and then at a Bolton Wanderers side managed by future Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce, helping the latter to qualify for the play-offs. Another promotion wouldn’t be added to his CV though, because the Trotters were defeated in the semi-finals by Ipswich Town.

Sunderland was arguably the best time of his career, with him also earning the majority of his 18 caps for Scotland whilst on our books. With the campaign over he would leave Wearside permanently and move to his home city of Glasgow with Rangers. He wasn’t the most prolific in his one year there though, only managing two goals in Champions League qualifiers and another in the Scottish Cup.

A £600,000 transfer saw him move back to England in 2001, to North Yorkshire outfit Middlesbrough. It was another time to forget though as he managed just one goal in the Premier League and he spent most of the 2002/03 season on loan with Sheffield Wednesday and the 2003/04 season not featuring. Kilmarnock was his next destination and he was able to find some consistency there, playing over 100 times and staying for five years.

One year at St Mirren came afterwards before moving to Queen of the South. Johnston signed as a player then became a player-coach and then player-manager. The 2012/13 season, his last as a footballer, saw him win the Scottish Second Division and the Scottish Challenge Cup.

He returned to Kilmarnock as a manager in June 2013, after these successes, and helped them to avoid relegation but was sacked when he came out against the selling of a player. During his time at Dunfermline Athletic (his next job, starting in May 2015) he managed them to a promotion to the Scottish Championship and then got them to the Scottish Championship play-offs but they lost, with him eventually being sacked as they stalled in mid table the following season (2018/19).

The final management job he’s held to date was a return to Queen of the South in May 2019, he was brought in to help them avoid relegation in the play-offs to League One which he was able to do. He was relieved of his duties in February 2022 with the club looking certain to be relegated.