Will Johnson (footballer, born 2005)

Last updated
Will Johnson
Personal information
Full name William Jack Johnson [1]
Date of birth (2005-06-06) 6 June 2005 (age 20) [2]
Place of birth Stockton-on-Tees, England [2]
Position
Team information
Current team
 Fleetwood Town
Number 25
Youth career
Darlington
–2021 Norton & Stockton Ancients
2021–2023 Fleetwood Town
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022– Fleetwood Town 4 (0)
2022–2023 → Barnoldswick Town (loan) 1 (0)
2023 → Marine (loan) 9 (0)
2024 → Gateshead (loan) 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:35, 6 December 2025 (UTC)

William Jack Johnson (born 6 June 2005) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League Two club Fleetwood Town.

Contents

Career

Johnson was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham and raised in the village of Eaglescliffe in the borough. [3] He played County & District level football and also played in the academy at Darlington. [3] He also featured in the first team for Norton & Stockton Ancients who played senior football in the Wearside Football League. [3] He signed a two-year scholarship at EFL League One side Fleetwood Town in the summer of 2021, joining the under-18 side managed by Simon Wiles. [3]

On 22 November 2022, he penned his first professional contract with Fleetwood signing a two-year deal. [4] The youngster had impressed having been made under-18's captain in the summer of 2022 when becoming a second-year scholar. [4] In December 2022, he was sent out on loan to North West Counties Football League Premier Division side Barnoldswick Town, but only featured in one game against A.F.C. Liverpool. [5]

He first featured in the first team squad on 1 March 2023, when he was an unused substitute for Fleetwood's record FA Cup run to the fifth round, losing to Burnley 1–0 at Turf Moor. [6] Two days later, he was sent out on loan to Northern Premier League Premier Division side Marine until the end of the season to gain some further senior experience. [7] He made eleven appearances for the club as they finished in 9th place but also won the Liverpool Senior Cup, beating Runcorn Linnets on penalties to lift the trophy for the first time in fifteen years. [8]

At the beginning of the 2023–24 season he was moved up full-time to the under-21 squad and was again appointed captain. [9] He made his professional debut on 7 November 2023, also scoring the third goal in a 4–0 win over Leicester City in the EFL Trophy group stage, having come on as a substitute at half time. [10] In March 2024, he headed back to his native North-East when he joined National League side Gateshead on loan until the end of the season to help with their play-off push. [9] He only featured twice during the loan as Gateshead finished in the play-off places but were unable to participate due to not meeting the entry requirements to the EFL. [10]

He mainly featured for the under-21 squad during the 2024–25 season but did feature for the first team at the back end of the season due to injuries, making his EFL debut under Pete Wild in the 3–1 defeat to Harrogate Town on Easter Monday, replacing Rhys Bennett in the second half. [11] He followed that up with his first start five days later in the penultimate game of the season, starting at right back in a 2–0 win over Newport County. [12]

Personal life

Johnson is the son of former professional defender Alan Johnson, who represented Wigan Athletic, Lincoln City, Preston North End and Rochdale in the English Football League. [3]

Career statistics

As of match played 23 August 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup EFL Cup OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Fleetwood Town 2022–23 [6] League One 0000000000
2023–24 [10] League One0000001 [a] 111
2024–25 [12] League Two 2000000020
2025–26 [13] League Two2000101 [a] 040
Total4000102171
Barnoldswick Town (loan) 2022–23 [5] NWCFL Premier Division10———10
Marine (loan) 2022–23 [8] NPL Premier Division90——2 [b] 0110
Gateshead (loan) 2023–24 [10] National League 20———20
Career total160001041211
  1. 1 2 Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  2. ↑ Appearances in Liverpool Senior Cup

References

  1. ↑ "EFL - Squad List 2024/25" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  2. 1 2 Will Johnson at Soccerway. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Getting to know Under-18s defender Will Johnson". Fleetwood Town FC. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Getting to know Under-18s defender Will Johnson". Fleetwood Town FC. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  5. 1 2 "NWCFL Prem Statistics 2022-23". NWCFL Scores. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Games played by Will Johnson in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "Young defender Will Johnson joins non league side Marine AFC on a youth loan". Fleetwood Town FC. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Marine – Appearances – William Johnson – 2022-2023". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Under-21s captain Johnson heads to Gateshead on loan". Fleetwood Town FC. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Games played by Will Johnson in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "Johnson: It's time for me to impress". Fleetwood Town FC. 24 April 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  12. 1 2 "Games played by Will Johnson in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  13. ↑ "Games played by Will Johnson in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
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