Marvin Johnson has explained how Sheffield Wednesday fans helped him through his banishment from the first team.
Marvin Johnson joined Sheffield Wednesday from Middlesbrough in 2021 and became a regular during their time in League One, netting three goals and providing seven assists as they won promotion.
The 33-year-old was handed a new contract in the summer, but quickly found himself dropping down the pecking order under Xisco Munoz.
Johnson wasn’t even registered for the EFL squad under Munoz and his time at Hillsborough looked as if it had come to an end very soon after putting pen to paper on a new deal.
However, Danny Rohl‘s arrival gave Johnson a fresh opportunity in the first team. The German coach brought him back into the fold and he has started eight of Rohl’s 15 league games in charge – bagging five goal contributions in the process.
After claiming two goals and an assist in the last two games, Johnson has opened up on a tough start to the campaign and how the ‘incredible’ fans helped him through it.
Speaking to The Star, he said: “It’s football, it happens.
“It’s probably been happening for the last 30 years at every single club in the league and out of it… You deal with it as a professional footballer and move on from it, keep yourself right and look to the future.
“It was difficult, and that’s why I kept my head down and did what I needed to do to keep right. I’m a professional athlete, I can’t just down tools and get unfit. I had to keep my head right and bide my time. I’ve had my chance and given my all.
“If you don’t keep yourself right and it does turn a corner and you get the chance, you’ll only embarrass yourself by not being ready. If you’re unfit you don’t look the same player, so I tried to make sure I was in good enough shape that if I was needed back in the squad I was able to perform.
Marvin Johnson appreciates ‘incredible’ support
“It was brilliant to see,” he added. “The fanbase we’ve got here is incredible and it helped me mentally get through a tough time… I think it made it easier for me to stay on the right track, to keep working, to keep my head down, to keep working hard and make sure I’m ready. It only kept me on a high rather than a low and switching off. It kept me going and kept me strong.
“It’s amazing to play in front of them, as I had done for the past two years, so I already knew what it meant to play. That’s what hurt me the most, not being able to play… I was in the stands with them watching the games, but it helped me push on and keep right. Now I’m back out playing and I’m buzzing.”
Marvin Johnson has been pivotal to Sheffield Wednesday‘s upturn in form, with his versatility also coming in very handy too.
The former Sheffield United loanee has the third-most shots per game (1.2), the fourth-most interceptions (1.4) and the fourth-most key passes (1.1) in the Owls squad.