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Conceding a goal at the near post really got under Michael Johnson’s skin.

The former Birmingham City centre-back racked up over 550 appearances during his career, most of which came after a bizarre incident involving Neil Warnock and a header from ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Steve Bull that particularly annoyed the manager.

Aged 18, Johnson was hauled off by Warnock while playing for Notts County after he was beaten to a cross by Bull in a brutal piece of management - but one which Johnson says did him the world of good.

Incredibly, an incensed Warnock was happy to play the remainder of the match with just 10 players as an embarrassed Johnson trudged off the pitch.

But Johnson, now 45, was taught a valuable lesson that he says never left him.

This is a fabulous tale - so we'll let Johnson talk you through it, as he did on the This Football Life podcast.

Brought on

"I'm about 18 years old. It's my second season at Notts County and we were losing a game against Wolves, I think about 2-1 at the time.

"There's about 20 minutes to go and Neil's turned round to the bench and said: 'Michael get warmed, you're going on'. One of the centre backs was struggling.

"So I go on in this derby, West Midlands against East Midlands. Wolves at the time had a prolific goalscorer in Steve Bull.

"In the 83rd minute, there's a ball that goes out wide and Neil always had this thing about the near post and he'd been working with me and Mike Jones, his assistant at the time, about it being part of my game that I needed to develop.

"Anyway, the ball comes in and it's chest height. As a defender you need to meet it.

"I've stood and waited. Steve Bull never waits.

"He gambles near post, gets across me and ball goes in at the far post. 3-1 with six or seven minutes to go.

"So I'm thinking 'oh my word' and I was gutted. The game is finished now.

Hauled back off

"As I'm walking back, I look at the bench and see Neil remonstrating.

"So I'm looking round wondering who he's pointing at and he's said: 'You! Yes, you! Get off!'

"By this time, we've used three subs, and he's telling me to get off.

"The fourth official has walked up and said: 'Number six, Michael Johnson, will be replaced by...nobody.'

"I walked off the pitch and he's played with 10 men because I was that bad and he wanted to teach me a real good lesson.

"He told me to sit down and as I walked past him - obviously my teammates were behind chuckling - he's said: 'I'd rather play with 10 than put up with that s*** you've just served. Sit down'.

"I flomped down and you could hear that hum round the stadium: 'What's going on?'

You've got two choices

"You've got two ways to go from that. You either toughen up and think 'I'll show you' which I did, or you go missing. Because for an 18-year-old, that can be quite a lot.

"If that was done in today's society, oh my word, you'd be up.

"But actually he really helped me in my career.

"After that moment, I wouldn't say I never got done at the near post, but if I did it would hurt. I would analyse it and break it down as to why it happened, because I knew this was part of my DNA going forward and to be successful, I needed to make sure I didn't get done there.

"A coach would never have to tell me about the way the goal went in, I knew.

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Valuable lesson

"It really made me tough-skinned and I would analyse for hours the slightest movement, the slightest body shape, did I see the run, where did it come from?

"It made me get to a point where I kind of perfect trying to defend the near post.

"I had some real good teammates, good strong characters who came round me. They said 'you know what the manager's like, you know what he wants, but he thinks the world of you which is why at 17, 18, you've made your debut.

"I really worked on my game to make sure I was in the right areas to try and cut out the goals conceded from people running across me.

"There are certain philosophies Neil had. Responsibility, accountability, he's a good manager."