In each matchday programme, we speak to a former Spurs player or a well-known supporter of the Club. The series continues today as we catch up with former Spurs and Charlton Athletic midfielder, Johnnie Jackson.
Joining our academy set-up at the age of 10, Johnnie Jackson rose through the ranks to make his first team debut for us in a Premier League match at Portsmouth on Boxing Day, 2003. Loaned to Swindon Town, Colchester United, Coventry City and Watford during his time as a Spurs player, the Camden-born midfielder made a total of 24 appearances for us between 2003 and 2006. His one and only Lilywhites goal came, ironically, against future employers Charlton Athletic in a 4-2 win at The Valley on 11 February, 2004. His final match for Spurs also happened to come against the Addicks in a 3-1 victory at White Hart Lane on 5 February, 2006.
After spells with Colchester United and Notts County, Jackson devoted the next 12 years of his career to Charlton Athletic. He became club captain during his eight years with them as a player between 2010 and 2018, during which time he skippered them to their League One title-winning success in 2011/12.
Jackson became a coach at Charlton after hanging up his boots in 2018 and then managed the club between 2021 and 2022. He moved across London to become AFC Wimbledon manager in May 2022 and, in his third season at Plough Lane, guided the Dons to victory in the Sky Bet League Play-Off Final.
Johnnie Jackson celebrates a goal with Robbie Keane, Ledley King and Jermain Defoe in our 4-2 win at Charlton in 2004
First of all, can we ask how you came to join Spurs as a youngster?
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Johnnie: "I was spotted playing grassroots football for Westward Boys in Camden. We’d get scouts from different clubs and Terry Agambar, who my dad sort of knew, was the person who invited me to train with Spurs. Terry was a cab driver and did some scouting for Spurs too. I started training with Spurs when I was 10 or 11 and I stayed with the Club right through from there to first team level."
What was it like rising through the academy ranks at Spurs?
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Johnnie: "I had a fantastic education at Spurs, being taught how to play the game in the right way. It was a brilliant environment with great coaches. Pat Holland was my youth team coach and he was my first real mentor in the game. I loved each stage of my progression and I feel fortunate to have had the career with Spurs that I did."
What memories do you have of your Spurs debut?
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Johnnie: "It was Boxing Day, away to Portsmouth. I’d been on loan at Coventry that season (2003/04) and I was recalled because we had some injuries. I went straight into the starting line-up, so it all happened pretty quickly for me. I can remember thinking ‘wow, you’ve been waiting all your life for this opportunity to come along’. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel nervous. I was just really excited. I loved the experience, even though we lost the game 2-0. I think I did alright. It was incredible having the opportunity to play in the Premier League. My family were in the away end watching that day. It was a proud moment, even though the result didn’t go our way as I say."
Johnnie Jackson on target against Charlton in our 4-2 win in 2004
What do you remember of your one and only Spurs goal in the 4-2 win at Charlton in February, 2004?
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Johnnie: "I can remember the game and the goal quite well. That match came during quite a crazy period where we were scoring a lot of goals but conceding quite a few too (we also beat Portsmouth 4-3 and drew 4-4 draw with Leicester City in February, 2004). So, this was another one of ‘those’ matches. For my goal, I can remember picking the ball up in midfield, driving on and taking on the shot. It was the fourth goal in our 4-2 win and I scored it late on. It put the game to bed, so it felt like a winner. The Spurs fans and my family were behind the goal for that one, so that added to what a special moment it was."
You made 14 Spurs appearances during the 2003/04 season. You must have been pleased with that amount of playing time?
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Johnnie: "Definitely. I thought I established myself quite quickly and I think I did quite well in that first season. When I was out on loan that season, I was thinking I was going to be spending most of the season in the Championship. So, to have that opportunity in the Premier League was amazing."
David Pleat was the Spurs manager that handed you your debut for the Club. What was he like as a manger?
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Johnnie: "I’ll always be grateful to David for giving me the chance to play for Spurs. He always seemed to like me as a young player and obviously called me back from a loan at Coventry to play for the first team, so he must have seen something in me. David is a proper football man who knows the game inside out. I spoke to him pretty recently. He called me at the end of the season to say ‘well done’. He said he had been watching my career and knew all the players in my team, in the league."
Johnnie Jackson up against United winger Ryan Giggs in 2004
How do you reflect on the rest of your Spurs career after your debut season in 2003/04?
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Johnnie: "Jacques Santini came in as manager for my second season in the first team and played me for a bit. I was involved in the first game of the season against Liverpool (on 14 August, 2004) and a number of other matches early doors. But after Santini left, I was loaned out to Watford. There was quite a turnover of players in my final seasons at Spurs and managerial change too. At that time, Spurs had aspirations to do better than they had done in recent seasons and they had eyes on bigger, better players. It became difficult for me to stay in the team and I knew I wasn’t quite at the level in terms of what they wanted. I only played one match under Martin Jol and I was released at the end of that (2005/06) season. It was obviously difficult to move on having been a club for so long. But I look back at my time with Spurs so fondly. I was so grateful for the opportunity I had at there. I played nearly 20 matches for the Club, which is an achievement in itself."
You must also have fond memories of your time with Charlton Athletic?
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Johnnie: "Absolutely. Charlton became a massive part of my career and my life. I was there eight years as player, four as a coach and a manager. I became club captain as a player. We won the League One title in 2011/12 when I was captain and it was during my time at Charlton that I played my best football. After my time at Spurs, then Colchester and a crazy spell at Notts County, I needed a home and Charlton very became that for me."
What memories do you have of facing Spurs for Charlton in an FA Cup third round tie at White Hart Lane on 9 January, 2011?
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Johnnie: "I think it was 0-0 at half-time. And then Spurs brought on Luka Modrić on at the break and we ended up losing 3-0! Jermain Defoe scored two goals on the day. It was great for me personally to return to White Hart Lane and also see how much the Club had progressed in the time since I’d been there. They were a top team then with players like Modrić, Defoe and Gareth Bale."
Johnnie Jackson back at Spurs and up against Andros Townsend in our FA Cup third round tie against Charlton in 2011
At what point in your playing career did you start thinking about possibly going into coaching or management?
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Johnnie: "Not when I was at Spurs, that’s for sure! It was the last thing on my mind then… I just wanted to be playing. It was probably when I was at Charlton and I was made captain by Chris Powell that I started to think about the coaching side of things. I had a good, close relationship with Chris and I started looking at what he was doing and how he went about things. This would have been in my late 20s, early 30s. When I retired from playing, I knew I wanted to go straight into coaching with the ambition of one day managing."
What was the experience like winning the League Two Play-Offs as Wimbledon manager in 2025?
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Johnnie: "It’s probably the best single moment in my entire career. When you achieve things as a player, it’s incredible. But the feeling it gave me winning at Wembley when you’re responsible for the entire team… it was just amazing. You put yourself under so much pressure as a manager and there is so much scrutiny on the job. The pay-off of winning at Wembley makes it all worthwhile. After your playing days, you probably don’t think you’ll feel the same kind of professional highs again. But I absolutely did with that victory at Wembley."
Johnnie Jackson celebrates a win for AFC Wimbledon against Doncaster last season
Finally, what kind of seasons are you expecting for your former clubs, Spurs and Charlton, in 2026/27?
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Johnnie: "I’ve been really impressed by Tottenham’s recruitment over the summer and I really like the manager, Roberto De Zerbi. He’s got Premier League experience – he was brilliant at Brighton - and he’s always done well wherever he’s been. The players they’ve brought in are fantastic. I like Sandro Tonali a lot. There will be a huge improvement for Spurs this season compared to last and they’ll definitely be looking towards those European spots. For Charlton, it’ll be difficult in the Championship. We know how competitive that league is and they don’t have the resources of other clubs in that division. But in Nathan Jones, they have a top manager who knows the league inside out and sets his teams up to be hard to beat. A lot of his success has been built on his teams keeping clean sheets and being hard to break down. They’ll certainly look to make things difficult for Spurs in this Carabao Cup tie. For the rest of the season, their focus will be on improving on last season and consolidating in the Championship. I’m obviously wishing my old clubs all the best for the season."
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The front and back covers of our Official Matchday Programme vs Charlton