Johnson was born in
Grimsby and began working as a
fishmonger whilst playing amateur football with Cleethorpes Royal Saints and then
Scunthorpe & Lindsey United before being spotted by Second Division
Bristol City in July 1929. He broke into the side in making his debut in the
1931–32 season. Bristol City were having a terrible campaign winning just three of their first 32 games before the club fell into severe financial difficulties and put their entire squad up for sale.
Stoke City visited
Ashton Gate on 16 April 1932 and the Bristol directors desperate for funds told the Stoke board they could buy whoever they wanted. Manager
Tom Mather singled out their young left winger Johnson and signed him for a mere £250. Johnson quickly took the place of the ageing
Bobby Archibald and soon made an impression with the pace running up and down the left wing. With
Stanley Matthews on the right wing Stoke had one of the best pairing of wingers in the country and he scored 15 times in 43 games in
1932–33 as Stoke won the Second Division title. He remained a key player in Stoke's forward line for the next four seasons and earned international recognition. He suffered an ankle injury on the opening day of the
1937–38 season and Stoke manager
Bob McGrory decided to sell him to
West Bromwich Albion for a fee of £6,500. Johnson spent nine years with the Baggies and during
World War II he guested for
Crewe Alexandra,
Leicester City and
Notts County. After the war he played for
Northwich Victoria and
Hereford United and later ran a refreshment area in
Dartmouth Park, close to
the Hawthorns. He died in
West Bromwich in August 1983 at the age of 72. ==International career==