Johnson’s night in charge should be what he is remembered for at MK Dons

The departure of Bradley Johnson from MK Dons may well be a low-key one, but his role on a cold Tuesday night in December should be highly regarded for a while to come.

The veteran midfielder racked up 45 appearances during the course of Dons’ relegation campaign, netting five important goals along the way. But like many experienced midfielders in the past, Johnson’s on-field performances had good and bad moments.

When he signed for the club last summer though, no-one could have imagined he would ending up sparring the club a sizeable blush when he stepped into manage the side not just in any old cup competition, but a televised Carabao Cup clash against Premier League Leicester City.

It was, frankly, a scenario bordering on shambolic. Having sacked Liam Manning without an immediate game plan, Dons went calling to injured skipper Dean Lewington, who had to delay hamstring surgery in order to take charge of the side against Bristol Rovers in the Papa John’s Trophy, and then at Portsmouth in League One.

Lewington’s need to go under the knife though meant Dons needed a caretaker for the caretaker - step forward Bradley Johnson. With limited coaching experience, though an A-Licence qualification, the former Blackburn Rovers and Norwich City man lined up on the touchline alongside David Martin - another player taking on far more responsibility than he expected when signing in the summer - to lead the side against the Foxes.

Few expected anything other than the 3-0 reverse with the odds stacked massively against Dons, even before the off-the-field antics they were facing, and Johnson’s willing to take on the hugely significant role for a club he had just joined was telling about the character of the man.

While his time at the club following that night was largely limited to substitute appearances and relegation at the end of the season, he should be remembered as a player who stepped up when the Dons needed him the most. Not many can claim that.