Lee caught eye when yeovil hit Rix for six

MEETINGS between Oxford United and Yeovil Town aren't exactly viewed as the centrepiece of British football, and ordinarily they would never even rate a mention amongst supporters of Hearts.

But one encounter 16 months ago between two of England's less celebrated clubs is likely to have had a bearing on the future at Tynecastle, even if frequenters of the stadium could not be expected to realise so at the time.

News of a 6-1 scoreline in favour of Yeovil would have been allowed to pass in blissful ignorance by the Hearts support in September 2004, however that day at Huish Park was a poignant one regarding the arrival of Lee Johnson in Edinburgh.

The 24-year-old midfielder devoted his considerable influence to a League Two destruction that propelled Graham Rix some way towards his sacking as Oxford manager two months, and just two victories, later.

In the interests of good grace it is unlikely that the match was mentioned by Johnson during his recent negotiations with Rix and the Hearts hierarchy, which saw him officially sign for the club yesterday after a £60,000 fee brought him from Somerset where his Yeovil contract was due to expire in June.

However his contribution to Oxford's trouncing was never forgotten by the opposition manager, and, along with a consistency which has seen him named Yeovil's player of the year in three consecutive seasons, it contributed heavily to a transfer into the midst of a high-profile title tilt in the Scottish capital.

"I remember that game," admits Johnson, somewhat sheepishly. "It was the first encounter I can recall with Graham Rix, and it sticks out because he was on crutches at the time.

"I think he had torn his Achilles tendon or something. But we gave his Oxford side quite a beating that day and I managed to set up a couple of our goals.

"I would presume that's when he first really took notice of me, and he's kept an eye on me from there.

"I knew a lot about Graham through the London scene and the footballers around the area. Everyone you speak to says what an amazing coach he is and how he can develop you and bring you on as a player."

The London "scene" evokes images of glitz and glamour, although maybe less so for a Yeovil Town player than certain Page 3-infatuated England internationalists. Nevertheless, the raw southern accent and the upturned collar on his leather bomber jacket give the instant impression of an authentic diamond geezer.

Johnson's confidence, though, should not be taken as arrogance. "This means everything to me. It's a massive, massive career move. What I can bring to the team is a work rate, a desire to get on the ball and make things happen. I'm not going to go shouting my mouth off saying I'm Maradona. I just want to prove myself.

"If I need a little bit of time then hopefully the club will give me it but I promise to work hard and when I do come on the scene I intend to take my chance."

Born in Newmarket, Lee Johnson was reared within a footballing environment through his father Gary, the former coach of the Latvian national side and the man who took his son to Yeovil from Brighton in 2001.

Johnson Snr, below left, now managing Bristol City, gave an instant order of "you've got to go" to his son when Rix's interest was first declared. And a route has already been identified for getting dad to Tynecastle. "Easyjet. Bristol to Edinburgh - £39. That'll suit him," laughs Lee. "I'm sure he'll be up here when he can but he's already charged me £140 for a year's subscription to Setanta Sports. Can't believe I'm still having to pay mum and dad back at my age.

"They are very supportive parents and they want to watch me whenever they can. My dad obviously has a massive job to do at Bristol City so he'll probably be telling me to get the DVDs of the games sorted and send them to him. And he'll have to settle for slaughtering me via the phone now rather than on a match day like he would at Yeovil.

"My old man is very experienced in football and when I asked his advice he knew I had to take the opportunity. He's proud of me. Not many people get this type of move from League One."

At 5ft 6in, Johnson is no domineering midfielder. But size isn't everything. It's what you can do that counts. He arrived for yesterday's press conference looking like a dwarfed version of Gavin Henson, although sadly there was no Charlotte Church look-a-like in tow.

If footage from his four years at Yeovil Town are genuine evidence of his goalscoring talent, it may not be long before Johnson is as recognisable as the famous Welsh centre.

"I'm looking forward to this challenge. Hearts seem to want to take on the Old Firm and fight above their weight, and when you're as small as I am you have to fight above your weight. You can achieve it in different ways, either through sharpness, being strong on the ball or getting on the ball and not letting anyone get near you.

"I'm clearly not a Patrick Vieira, but I'm sure I'll do all right against these big guys.

"I like to get my shots off from long range, and if you catch one properly and it flies in you look a world-beater. I do like to score goals, although it's not the main part of my game. I want to score goals for Hearts and whether you are able to do that or not has a lot to do with your team-mates. What style of play the side uses, can you get yourself beyond the strikers, do you have a forward who holds the ball up? I have to adapt to what we have at Hearts.

"I think I've just been brought in to strengthen the whole squad. Paul Hartley is a super player. He's an international who I've seen in training but I've seen Julien Brellier play too and he's also very talented. I'm under no illusions about how hard it will be to dislodge them."

Should he manage that, there would be few prizes for anticipating the next item on the agenda of a kid whose mother and grandmother were born in Glasgow.

"If I'm playing well in the Hearts team, and the club are doing consistently well then the Scotland squad would be a natural step because I'm an ambitious person."

Repaying mum and dad won't have made much of a dent in his Hearts signing-on fee, and the cheap Easyjet flights seem just the job for the old man. But those are side issues. If he covets a place in the Hearts team, Johnson will remain silenced about Yeovil's meetings with Oxford.

Taken from the Scotsman