City was Johnston’s first club south of the border after the left-half made a name for himself in Scotland with Boddam and then Peterhead in the 1940s.

He was a tough-tackling player and made 35 league appearances for the club, as well as one in the FA Cup, making his debut in an away match at Brentford in September 1948.

Johnston never really settled into a first-team role at the club, having his debut put off by a foot injury before competing for a starting slot with Johnny King. The competition meant he was allowed to move on to Reading three years later, where he enjoyed more regular action in the Royals’ defence.

The Scot went on to play for Swindon Town and took his first player-manager role with Merthyr Tydfil in 1955.