Full name Barry Johnston Years Team Number 14 Height 1.8 m | Role Footballer Place of birth Dublin, Ireland Name Barry Johnston | |
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Date of birth (1980-10-28) 28 October 1980 (age 35) | ||
Playing position Current team Carrick Rangers F.C. | ||
Barry Johnston (born October 28, 1980 in Dublin) is an Irish footballer who is currently a free agent after playing for Carrick Rangers.
After serving the best of apprenticeships at Celtic Boys under Jim 'Dino' Heaney, Johnston believed he could cut it as a tricky winger when he joined Cliftonville's U18 set-up. Big 'Dino', though, felt his best position was a defensive one sweeper or right back.
An horrific broken leg suffered in his younger days made him re-appraise his attitude towards football. He still has nine screws and a steel plate anchored to his marrow.
It was during a two-year scholarship in New Orleans with William Carey College that Johnston began to thrive in the defensive midfield role.
The day he returned from his two-year sabbatical in the States, he contacted Marty Quinn about hooking up with him at Coleraine.
However, the chances of assuming his new-found central midfield role - occupied by Pat McAllister and Tony Gorman at Ballycastle Road at the time - were slim. Johnston had to make do with a wide midfield position while with the Bannsiders, but he was even deprived of that role for the 2003 Irish Cup final against Glentoran.
He moved to Coleraine in October 2002 where he reached two IFA Cup Finals in 2003 and 2004 against the same opposition Glentoran winning one and losing one.
Johnston moved back to Cliftonville in January 2006. Lost another IFA Cup Final in May 2009 against Crusaders [1].
He signed for Rovers after impressing in guest appearances against Newcastle and Hibs. making his competitive debut in a win over Derry City at Tallaght Stadium.
Johnston returned north to sign for Glenavon in December 2009 [2].
He then signed for Cliftonville for the third time in September 2010 [3].
Johnston scored Cliftonville's equaliser against The New Saints in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League [4].
In July 2015, Johnston made a surprise move to Carrick Rangers. He later returned to Cliftonville to find the remainder of his kneecap that went missing during a game in the Danske Bank Premiership
Barry has a cousin named Tomas Zammit. Tomas' father is named Andrew Zammit (hawk)