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Andy Johnson |
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Finlay Johnson had some sound advice for his father Andrew.
'Kick it a bit higher so the goalie can't reach it,' said the five-year-old. His dad agreed this sounded like a good idea and promised to give it a try. He also promised a family outing to the toy shop to celebrate if it worked.
This brief conversation took place on Wednesday before Fulham played Wigan. Twenty-four hours later and AJ was discussing the merits of the Harrods toy department after scoring twice to end a seven-month wait as Fulham won 2-0.
'Yessss,' said Finlay when he found out, pumping both fists in the air. 'Toys.'
Dad was happy, too, after breaking his Fulham duck. The first was the 100th League goal of his career, begging the question of exactly how long he had been playing in the vest he unveiled to mark the milestone.
Had he been wearing it since March when the last one went in?
'It was the first time,' smiles Johnson. He is in a good mood.
'I got a text off our two kitmen Gaz and Dan saying do you fancy doing something a bit different? Do you fancy us making you up a vest saying 100 League goals? They put a couple of things to me and I chose one and said let's go for it.
'I took it off at half-time, that was the 100 done and I got another one second half. I'd been on 99 since March but I'd not played that many games because of injuries and what-not. It was nice to get my first goal for Fulham. It was a bit of a burden but it's done now.'
The return of the goal touch could not have been better timed.
Next-up Johnson revisits Everton, the club he left in the summer after growing frustrated at being asked to play on the wing by manager David Moyes rather than up front.
He declares his love for his new club but manager Roy Hodgson has reminded the former Everton striker not to stir up trouble by kissing the Fulham badge.
Johnson, however, is not out to antagonise Goodison. He has fond memories of two years in Liverpool - especially two goals in his first Mersey derby, a late winner with his left foot against Arsenal and his first taste of European football - and he hopes Evertonians understand his reasons for moving on.
'I'm an out-and-out striker,' explains Johnson. 'That's where I've scored the majority of my goals from. I don't mind dropping deep to help the team when we haven't got the ball but at Everton I was playing out on the right or in midfield. That wasn't really me and I felt like I was struggling a bit.
'I got along with David Moyes, I got along with chairman Bill Kenwright and I made some really good friends there like Joleon Lescott and Tim Cahill. They're a great bunch of lads and I'm still in touch with them. I made some good friends among the supporters.
'That all made it really hard but it was like: do I stay and risk playing again on the right, or in the hole? Or maybe I won't play at all. Or do I move to a team where I've got a better chance of playing in my best position?'
Moyes embraced the fashion for playing with one striker, especially away from home, and Johnson, with his pace and work-rate, was usually the one asked to move out wide.
'Teams use it because away from home they don't want to concede,' says Johnson. 'That was the biggest thing at Everton as we'd have Cahill in behind as a second striker. Since I've been at Fulham we've played two up front home and away.'
Strikers are supposed to be selfish and Johnson decided it was time to revive his career and move back to London, where he scored 84 goals in four years at Crystal Palace.
'I'm 28 in February,' said Johnson. 'It's different if you're 21, you can accept being on the bench. It would have been the easy option to stay at Everton. I had four years left but it would have shown a lack of ambition. I took the hard option. I wanted to kick-start my career.'
Fulham paid £10.8million for his services, almost a club record. But an old knee operation showed up on the medical scans and delayed the transfer. Then a thigh strain, suffered on his last day of training with Everton, slowed his start to the season. On his fourth appearance for his new club he was sent off before half-time.
'I was a little bit eager to impress,' admits Johnson. 'I wanted to get off the mark quicker than I got here. I was trying to do too much and that's probably why I got sent off. That challenge was a bit out of character for me.
'It's taken time but finally I feel in top condition and hopefully I can start scoring some goals. We're ambitious. We want to be finishing mid to upper table.'
Johnson knows if he is to revive his England career, frozen on eight caps for more than a year now, he must storm the goal charts. His last international appearance came as a substitute against Israel in the Euro 2008 qualifiers and six goals in nine months has not tempted Fabio Capello.
'I'll be frustrated if I never get another chance but I'll be frustrated with myself,' says Johnson.
'It's down to me and I know I'm capable of doing it. The main thing is playing, and staying sharp and injury-free.
'I've got to be scoring as many goals as Crouchie, Defoe, Owen and Rooney if I want to get in the England squad.
'Scoring in the Premier League gets harder every year. If you get 15 goals these days you've done pretty well. Defenders are quicker and stronger, strikers get rested and more teams are playing with one up front.
'You don't see six strikers up there all scoring 25 goals any more.
'It's more like 18 or 19 with the odd one who gets 30-plus like Ronaldo.'
Johnson's best in the Barclays Premier League was 21 goals with Palace in 2004/05.
Imagine the toys that would buy.