'I hope he's mellowed' - Brian Wilson on playing under both Johnsons and his Bristol City agony

The former Robins defender discusses the highs and lows of his time at Ashton Gate

Gary Johnson gathered his Bristol City players together for a meeting ahead of their return to the Championship in the summer of 2007.

He asked them: “Where do you want to finish?” and son Lee immediately piped up: “We’ll win it, or get in the play-offs.”

Brian Wilson was part of the squad that went agonisingly close to achieving a second-successive promotion and he is also one of the few players to have worked under both Johnsons, at different stages of his career.

Gary Johnson paid Cheltenham Town £100,000 for his services midway through the 2006/07 League One campaign and he played 19 times to help City clinch the runners-up place behind Scunthorpe United.

Versatile Wilson, who  played winger or full-back, went on to make 64 appearances for City before leaving in 2010, and was then signed by former teammate Lee Johnson at Oldham Athletic in 2014.

“They are very similar in their styles,” Wilson told Bristol Live. “Lee had obviously learned a lot from his dad and he did really well in his first manager’s job, having us in the top six at Christmas.”

Wilson said it is no surprise to see Lee doing such an effective job at Ashton Gate now, with City lying just outside the play-off places ahead of the planned resumption of the 2019/20 season next month.

“The sessions he put on at Oldham were really enjoyable and on point,” he added.

“We all knew what our roles were and I could see it in him, with the way he conducted himself and with his team-talks, there was no doubt in my mind that he was going to be successful.”

Wilson’s own spell at BS3 ended up being ruined by two serious injuries, but the first 18 months of his three-and-a-half year stay were hugely positive.

He enjoyed training under Gary, but felt that sometimes he took things too far in his individual criticism of players.

“Gary was good when the team was doing well and we were winning, so it was brilliant,” he said.

“After promotion, we went on to do ever so well in the Championship and he was great to play under and very clued-up on tactics and opposition analysis.

“I didn’t really like his man management, because what he used to say at half-time was often too personal and I was probably easily picked on.

“I was big enough to take it, but I didn’t like how it came across. The odd game you understand, but when it’s constant, you are not going to get the best out of certain individuals.  

“He used it to get the best out of other players and it worked for him.

“Lee was a bit like that at Oldham with some of the things he’d say, but with him now being higher up I hope he’s mellowed a little bit.”

Wilson had turned down approaches from Crewe Alexandra and Plymouth Argyle, as well as an improved offer from Cheltenham to join City in January 2007.

“I didn’t end up speaking to Crewe or Plymouth, but Cheltenham did their best to keep me,” he said “There wasn’t actually much in it money wise, Cheltenham’s offer was that good.

“Bristol City made me an offer and Gary Johnson was very aggressive in the negotiations, saying he wasn’t budging, so I walked away and said I wasn’t willing to sign so I thought I’d be staying at Cheltenham.

“I was on my way up the M5, somewhere near Stroud, when Gary phoned again with an improved deal and I had to make a quick decision.

“It was only £100 or £200 more than I was on, with no signing-on fee, but I took into consideration their position in the table and it was obviously a big club, trying to get promoted to the Championship and they were flying at the time, so the decision became a lot easier.”

Wilson made his debut from the bench in a 3-2 home win over Tranmere Rovers on January 13 and his first start came in a 3-0 victory at Oldham a week later.

His first home start was against the club he had just left.

“I remember being smashed by my old mate Shane Duff and that was as difficult one for me as I loved my time at Cheltenham,” he said. “If I’d scored I wouldn’t have celebrated, but we ended up losing 1-0.”

The game was held up for half an hour due to a serious injury to Scott Brown, who had just made the move from City to Cheltenham, following a collision with another ex-City man Damian Spencer.

Wilson ended up starting 17 times, along with two substitute appearances, as City clinched automatic promotion with a 3-1 home win over Rotherham United on the final day.

“I was mainly on the left side of midfield and I don’t feel I played great or showed how good a player I could have been,” he said.

“But we had a good run and I didn’t miss many games, so I feel I contributed, not least with my off the ball work, even though I didn’t manage to score that season.

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“We’d lost to Millwall in our penultimate game, so it all went down to the final day, in front of nearly 20,000 and I remember the nerves for that one, but we did the job.

“I’ll never forget the fans invading the pitch and that night of celebrations will live on long in the memory. It was a real highlight of my career.”

The scorers that day were David Noble, with a brace, and Alex Russell with Wilson considering the duo as two of the best he played with.

“They both had fantastic careers,” he said. “Aggy (Russell) was someone I really looked up to him.

“I think if Nobes had lived his life right out of football, and was more box-to-box, there is no question he could have played in the Premier League, he was that good on the ball, but perhaps he was let down by the engine side.

“We also had Bradley Orr, who went on to play in the Premier League and then there were club legends like Scott Murray and Louis Carey, who were both great pros.”

By this time Wilson had sold his flat in Cheltenham and moved to Portishead, ready for the challenge of the Championship, where he had appeared briefly for Steve Cotterill’s Stoke City early on in his career after starting out in the youth set-up at Manchester United.

“There were so many good players in the Championship, dropping down from the Premier League and I thought if we finished in the top half we’d have done extremely well,” he said.

“We had a tight group of players, with a good spirit and bond and we all worked hard for each other. If you have that, you are likely to succeed.”

The highlight of Wilson’s season was scoring the winner in a televised clash against Sheffield Wednesday on September 1.

“We had a good start and belief increased,” he said. “It was a midday kick off at Hillsborough and we knew if we won we’d go top of the league, which even at that early stage would be very nice.

“I had a lot of friends and family watching and to score after four minutes was a great feeling.  

“I’ve watched the game back fairly recently and they battered us on the day, with clearances off the line and things like that, but it showed how hard we worked for each other and that ended up getting us so close to a second successive promotion.”

Wilson began to struggle with a shin problem from January 2008 and he ended up needing surgery to insert metal rods in both of his legs.

“I was told to have a total rest to see if my shins could recover for the start of the following season, so I missed out on the play-off final against Hull,” he said.

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“I travelled to Wembley with the other lads not in the squad and the families on the morning of the game.

“We were all excited, one game away from the Premier League, but when we got there we heard there was a sickness bug in the camp and then Bradley Orr fractured his cheekbone early on, so everything seemed to go against us.”

Dean Windass’ 38-minute volley was enough to shatter City’s dreams and take Hull into the top flight. “To lose 1-0 was sickening,” Wilson said.

He returned for pre-season and managed to feature in the first half of 2008/09, but the shin problem flared up again.

“I remember playing Plymouth reserves and before the game Gary Johnson told me there was a new contract there for me and to see him the next day,” he said.

“I tried to play, but the pain was unbearable and I couldn’t even walk, so I went to see a specialist, who said I needed surgery.

“The contract offer was taken away from me and I was out for a substantial amount of time. It was a horrible season because I was out for 11 months and also lost my dad.

“When I finally did come back it was against Bournemouth in a reserve game and after two minutes I broke my leg and had another 11 months out.

“I was told it would have been a double fracture had I not had the metal rods in there.

“I remember sitting in the physio room in tears, thinking I’d never play again. That was me done at Bristol.”

While Wilson was enduring a period to forget, City ended up finishing 10th in 2008/09 and 2009/10, failing to live up to a memorable first season back in the Championship.

“In the first year, momentum was with us,” he said. “That got us to the final, but to be so close and miss out meant nobody could really enjoy their summer holidays and I think that had an effect.

“We still had the hunger and desire, but perhaps we needed a few new additions because it was pretty much the same squad we’d gone up with.

“The Championship is a hard league to get out of, regardless of the budget you have and we were up against some exceptional players and teams.”

Wilson found himself without a club after leaving in 2010, but ex-City boss John Ward, who had signed him at Cheltenham, took him to Colchester United.

“Overall I have fond memories of my time at Bristol City, but I don’t feel I got to show how good I really could have been,” he said.

“After two bad injuries, nobody wanted me and I am not sure I was looked after as well by City as I should have been after breaking my leg, but what’s done is done.

“I was fortunate to work with John Ward again and he is the best manager I have played for in my career by a country mile.

“Colchester was a fresh start for me and I had to prove I was over the injuries, but John trusted me and I trusted him.”

Four years in Essex was followed by four years with Oldham before spells at Barrow and Buxton.

Manchester-based Wilson, 37, is now assistant manager at Northern Premier League Premier Division club Matlock Town, having called time on his playing career.

The father of three boys is working towards a tilt at management, but he is in no major rush.

“I will do it somewhere down the line, but I don’t want to be thrown straight in and at the moment I am getting good experience as an assistant,” he said.

“I had to work hard for where I got to as a player and nothing was handed to me and it’ll be the same when it comes to management.”

And Wilson is confident City will make the step up to the Premier League sooner rather than later. “Steve Lansdown has that ambition and they will get there because he has that drive; it’s a matter of time.”