Plymouth Argyle gave Sheffield Wednesday a cult hero that will forever be adored: View | OneFootball

‘Follow the Reda, Reda, Reda, follow the Reda, Johnson!’

As chants on the terraces go, Reda Johnson’s at Sheffield Wednesday is right up there for ingenuity, and underlines the defender’s status among Owls fans during his spell at the club at the start of the last decade.

The Benin international made the move to Hillsborough from Plymouth Argyle in the January of 2011 and went on to feature just shy of 100 times for the Yorkshire outfit, with his exploits at both ends of the pitch sure to be fondly remembered in the Steel City.

It was a sign of things to come in his time in blue and white after winning a penalty and netting an equaliser on his league debut for his new side; as his marauding runs from the centre of defence usually ended up with him popping up in the opponents’ penalty area to snaffle an effort on goal.

His no nonsense attitude when out of possession and his galloping graceful runs with the ball at his feet were always likely to win over the hearts of Wednesday fans, and he is still well thought of to this day in Owlerton after earning crucial points en route to promotion in 2012.

Reda Johnson EFL career: Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry City

Johnson made the move to England from France back in the summer of 2009 as he swapped Amiens for Plymouth Argyle, although he was unable to help keep the Pilgrims in the second tier after his arrival to Home Park, with the Pilgrims struggling with financial issues at the time.

The Beninois defender won himself plenty of admirers during his first season in England though, and it wasn’t long before the gangly centre back was attracting attention from the Owls, with the move to Hillsborough coming the following January as Wednesday looked to bounce back from relegation to the Championship.

After starting in a 3-0 victory over Bristol City in the FA Cup, Johnson’s league debut couldn’t have started much worse; with his side finding themselves two goals down within six minutes against Charlton Athletic.

But as Wednesday fans would get used to in the coming years, the defender played a pivotal part in rescuing a point for his new side with an equaliser five minutes after the break after Paul Heffernan had already pulled a goal back; and thus a legend was born.

Things were quite erratic in the second half of the season for Gary Megson’s side, with heavy defeats to Leyton Orient and Peterborough United soon followed up with thrilling wins over Oldham Athletic and Tranmere Rovers, with the former Premier League side finishing in a lacklustre 15th spot.

Reda Johnson goalscoring record helps Sheffield Wednesday earn League One promotion

It was the following campaign where Johnson really came into his own though, and kickstarted a promotion push with key moments at both ends of the pitch, including the winner in a 1-0 win over Hartlepool United at the start of October to earn a seventh win in the first eleven games of the season.

WIth Ben Marshall’s missile of a long throw providing ample opportunity to direct an effort on goal, as well as being a constant threat from set-pieces, Wednesday were proving deadly from dead-ball situations, with the former Plymouth Argyle man proving to be the beneficiary more often than not.

Another winner against Leyton Orient followed soon after - once again nodding a ball into the box home - before finding the net in crucial victories over Tranmere Rovers and Yeovil Town to keep the Owls battling at the top of the table.

With the race for promotion going down to the wire - and none other than city rivals Sheffield United the other side battling for a spot in the top two - every point was crucial in the hunt for Championship football, and once again Johnson earned himself hero’s status in Hillsborough with another winner late on in the season.

It will be no surprise to hear that it was another set-piece situation that provided the opportunity against Leyton Orient, with his effort on the rebound earning his side yet another victory, as they went on to beat their neighbours to promotion by three points.

By this point Johnson was earning himself something of a reputation as a prolific marksman from the back, but those goalscoring exploits showed no signs of slowing down even when he moved up a division, with his six goals in 16 matches back in the second tier a record most strikers would be proud of.

Three goals in his first four league matches showed just how crucial he was to Wednesday’s game plan at both ends of the pitch, before injury kept him on the sidelines for the majority of the campaign.

Whether it be at centre back or on the flank, the defender was always a reliable presence when he was fit enough to be selected, and still managed to pop up with the odd goal or two when injuries permitted, including a very special strike in his last league game for the club.

Sheffield Wednesday 6-0 Leeds United is a scoreline that will forever be etched into the folklore in that particular part of Yorkshire, and it was Johnson who got the party started on that historic day after being left all alone in the visitors’ penalty area.

The fact you can still buy the DVD of that game on Amazon proves just what a moment in both clubs’ history that was, and the cult hero of a defender deserved no better way to see out his Wednesday career.

75 league games, 18 league goals, one promotion and one final sweet strike against Yorkshire rivals; there won’t be too many players more memorable than Reda Johnson. He came for a good time, not a long time, and we are all the better off for it.