Now, this must begin before Eddie Johnson was even a glint in the eye of Dave Jones. American football players had always been a big source of fascination for me, going back to when we got to one sticker away from completing the USA 94 sticker book. USA 94 was my first proper World Cup that I remember watching; I had the Subbuteo USA 94 balls, I was entranced by the vast, deep stadiums like the Rose Bowl and I adored the USA kit with stars over it.
It was exotic. Americans didn’t play football, did they? And here they were. Joe Max-Moore. Alexei Lalas. Cobi Jones. Some of these players didn’t even have clubs! What did they do when they weren’t playing for the USA? It was a whole new world to me.
And then World Cup 94 finished and they started coming here! I mean some were already already but Cobi Jones signed for Coventry and I was obsessed with his dreadlock and the fact an AMERICAN was playing here. In our league! I could watch him on Match of the Day.
From then, America were always my team at the World Cup. 2002 saw them beat Portugal, run the Germans close in the Quarters and have an absolutely stonking away kit. Seriously, that blue number was incredible. Pre-internet, I tried everywhere to get it. Even that little football shirt shop in the old NCP in Cardiff.
Anyway, I digress, but it was necessary. Fast forward to 2008 and Cardiff City signed their very own American. Eddie Johnson! I’d read about him before he signed for Fulham and was genuinely excited to see him sign for Cardiff. He was young, he was drafted at a young age into the MLS and Benfica wanted him early on.
But the path didn’t run smooth for Eddie. He didn’t inspire confidence early on in the season. I think the moment a lot of fans gave up on him was during a loss at Plymouth where, in one moment, it looked like he’d made a smart run. But once the linesman had flagged him offside, and the replay flashed up, it was clear he was a long way offside and many wrote him off at that point.
Eddie wasn’t onto a winner. Dave Jones had, on the surface, underwhelmed in the transfer market that summer. Jay Bothroyd and Ross McCormack were going to need some time to gel and there was no guarantee Bothroyd would ever fulfil the promise. Of course he did, but at that point things looked a little shaky. And to bring Eddie J in at number 9, backing up a brand new front line. It was a lot of pressure.
Eddie had great attributes. He was quick, he was an intelligent footballer and could finish Granted, it took us a bit of time to see it. But Dave Jones didn’t always play to players strengths and sometimes, would give players enough rope to hang themselves.
And after that Plymouth game? I thought Eddie was done. But it was testament to the kid that he got his down and kept at it. He could have easily given up, asked to go back to Fulham and disappeared once again.
Consider he was 23/24, away from home and then away from the club that bought him in the first place. I remember being on nights out in Oceana of a Thursday and Eddie would sometimes be there. He would be by himself or with a friend, sipping from a can of Red Bull. And in those moments you realise the humanity of a footballer. We see footballers as feeling-less beings, charlatans who chase a quick buck. And for some that’s true but for others, they are just humble dudes trying to make it a strange environment.
It says a lot that Eddie’s best performances came later on in the season. And we can’t ignore that first goal against Doncaster. His season is often distilled to ‘I Saw Eddie Score’ but that was the start of something.
But that goal against Donny. In a season of disappointment, it was a wonderful moment of pure joy, pure redemption. It wasn’t enough that it was a smart goal – cutting inside, skipping past one player before curling it home – but it was the reaction to him from everybody in that ground that brought it home. The cheer was audibly louder than other cheers that season; the fans immediately started chanting his name
Most telling was that every player on the pitch ran to him and made sure they congratulated him. It was a real moment and one that, even when you watch back on YouTube, it makes the hairs stand on the back of your neck. I’d go as far as saying it’s in my top five favourite Cardiff City supporting moments.
And he didn’t look back from there. He grew into becoming a genuine option. His performance against Crystal Palace, where he dominated Paddy McCarthy in the air, was magnificent. So much so that Paddy McCarthy, who always looks like he’s ready to make a mistake, refused to shake his hand at the final whistle.
And his goal against Derby was outstanding. Harried a defender into a mistake, nicked the ball away from him then sped away after riding a hefty tackle and showed enough composure to curl it around the goalie, into the far corner. Sure he scored an own goal a bit later that some fans wrongfully attribute to us missing out on the playoffs that season (not the 6-0 drubbing at Preston, no no) but his finish against Derby meant he was the last ever Cardiff City scorer under the floodlights at Ninian Park.
Hindsight is 20/20 but I wish we’d kept him for another season. Yes we had Jay, Chops, and Ross ahead of him but we signed Kelvin Etuhu who was, frankly, useless and keeping Eddie would have been more beneficial in my view. He was a more mature proposition then, had spent a year getting used to the rigour of the Championship under a manager who was starting the get the best from him.
Lest we forget; that playoff final at Wembley saw Bothroyd go off and our hopes evaporate in an instance. Wouldn’t it have been poetic justice if we’d been able to bring Eddie on, the natural back-up to Jay, and he’d been on the end of one of the dozens of chances we had that day? Now that would have brought a whole new meaning to ‘I saw Eddie score…’