Brett Johnson

DOB: 15th August 1985

Position: Centre-back

Season of first appearance: 2014/15

Season of last appearance: 2016/17

Full Appearances: 81

Substitute: 16

Goals: 2

Also played for:

Ashford Town (Middlesex), Aldershot Town, Northampton Town, Gravesend & Northfleet, Grays Athletic, Brentford, AFC Wimbledon, Cambridge United, Woking.

Player Profile:

Committed defender born in Hammersmith whose career was marred by injuries.

Brett began his career with Isthmian League club Ashford Town (Middlesex) and moved to Conference outfit Aldershot Town in February 2004. He was a part of the team which reached the Conference Premier play-off semi-finals in 2004-05 and earned a move to League Two Northampton Town in July 2005. 

Brett's time at Sixfields was hampered by hamstring injuries and, despite spells on loan at Gravesend and Grays to gain fitness, he managed just 13 appearances before his contract expired at the end of 2006-07.

He signed successive six-month contracts to remain with the club for the duration of 2007-08 season and made something of a breakthrough, making 18 appearances. By the time of his release in June 2008, Brett had made 31 appearances during three seasons with Northampton. 

He joined Brentford on a one-year contract in August 2008. He made 12 appearances during an injury-hit season and was released in June 2009 but did win a League Two promotion medal.

In August 2009, Brett dropped into the Conference Premier to sign for AFC Wimbledon. Despite suffering from further injuries, he was a part of the team which clinched promotion to the Football League with victory over Luton Town at Manchester City in the 2011 Conference Premier play-off final.

Brett made 23 appearances in the Dons' debut season in League Two but spent time on loan at Conference club Cambridge United. He was released in June 2012 having made 94 appearances and scored six goals during three seasons with the Wombles.

Brett joined Woking in 2012-13, where he remained for two seasons and won the 2013–14 Surrey Senior Cup.

He was reunited with his former Aldershot and AFC Wimbledon manager Terry Brown when he joined Margate in the summer of 2014, scoring against the Wombles in a 3-0 friendly win at Hartsdown on 12.7.14.

Brett was a mainstay of our defence in the 2014-15 season, playing in both our play-off games against Dulwich and Hendon. He scored one goal, a header in a 3-3 draw at Kingstonian on 28.2.15.

Brett was retained by Margate as we entered National League South in 2015-16. However, the arrival of Jake Goodman meant he was in and out of the side. He scored our third goal in a 4-1 FA Cup win at home to Truro City on 10.10.15.

Brett missed the last few matches of the season after suffering a fractured cheekbone and eye socket in a 4-1 defeat at Wealdstone on 26.3.16.

Brett started his third season at Margate in 2016-17. He played in goal for the second half of a match at Ebbsfleet on 29.8.16 after regular keeper Lewis Ward had suffered concussion - there was no goalie on the bench. Margate were 2-0 down at the time and, despite making some saves, the final score was 4-0.

In January, manager Nikki Bull paid tribute to Brett, who had been made club captain after the departure of Luke Moore. He told Kent Online: "There's someone who's played 400 or 500 games, if anyone doesn't need to be out here doing that it’s him.

"If anyone had the right to say 'my hamstring's gone, I'm going to sit here for three months picking up my money and just back off from it', it's him but every time he goes on the pitch he goes into battle for me.

"This week he's had a chest infection, he didn't train Thursday night and I said 'Johnno you've got no chance' [of playing Saturday] but he just said 'I'll be there'.

"He just turns up, having taken antibiotics, coughing and spluttering and goes and plays. By the end he was croaking and could hardly speak. Even Browny [assistant manager Steve Brown], who was a top defender for goodness knows how many years, said 'Brett's a player'.

"I've got so much respect for him. He's wearing the armband in a way you would want him to, he's always trying to rally the troops, in my eyes he's a true leader."

Sadly, a combined torn cruciate, meniscus, medial ligament and fractured fibia injury sustained in a collision with his own goalkeeper Valery Pajetat on 11.2.17 in a 1-0 defeat at Hampton ended up forcing his retirement from football.

At the time, manager Nikki Bull told Kent Online: "The news couldn't have been any worse. We knew when he got hurt that it was bad because he stayed down and Brett's the type of player who never stays down.

"It was a freak accident and, in terms of knee injuries, it's probably one of the worst I've seen. Losing Brett is a massive blow because he's irreplaceable. He's a leader as well as being one of the few experienced players in our squad."

Brett is a Brentford supporter and a self-employed taxi driver.