Andy Johnson held his nerve to ease Crystal Palace’s relegation fears on Saturday.
LION OF THE WEEKEND: Andy Johnson held his nerve to ease Crystal Palace’s relegation fears on Saturday.
Everyone has noticed Andy Johnson’s pace and finishing this season. Now you can add bottle to his list of qualities.
Johnson scored twice from the penalty spot to earn Crystal Palace a 2-0 win against Birmingham on Saturday, taking The Eagles four points clear of the relegation zone.
To add to the drama, Johnson’s first penalty had to be retaken. The striker who made his England debut against Holland earlier this month now has 18 Premiership goals for the season - just one behind Golden Boot leader Thierry Henry.
Lion of the Weekend judge Alan Mullery knows that character is an important asset to top-class footballers.
"With Andy Johnson, you never got the feeling he was going to miss," said Mullery.
"His goals give Palace an important advantage over the other teams at the bottom. If he can carry on scoring as he has done, it will probably make the difference between survival and going down."
Johnson ran his former club Birmingham a merry ride all afternoon. His first opportunity from the spot came after 41 minutes. He hit the ball down the middle and when the kick had to be retaken, smashed attempt No.2 down the right.
He added another penalty after 68 minutes, a kick he won himself.
Lion of the Season - Total nominations so far
Stewart Downing 3 (08 Nov, 18 Oct, 04 Oct)
Shaun Wright-Phillips 3 (25 Oct, 16 Aug, 22 Nov)
Michael Owen 2 (01 Nov, 30 Aug)
John Terry 2 (29 Nov, 13 Dec)
Alan Smith 2 (23 Aug, 04 Jan)
Frank Lampard 2 (06 Dec, 17 Jan)
Wayne Rooney 2 (15 Nov, 31 Jan)
David James 2 (13 Sept, 07 Feb)
Jermain Defoe 2 (20 Dec, 14 Feb)
Rio Ferdinand 2 (11 Oct, 21 Feb)
Ashley Cole 1 (27 Sept)
Ledley King 1 (20 Sept)
Steven Gerrard 1 (06 Sept)
Darren Carter 1 (10 Jan)
Dean Ashton 1 (24 Jan)
Andy Johnson 1 (28 Feb)
* Every Monday TheFA.com announces the outstanding England player from the weekend’s matches, selected with the help of a former England international.
Lion of the Weekend is chosen by five former England internationals: Alan Mullery, Russell Osman, Mick Mills, Malcolm Macdonald and Paul Parker.
The player with the most votes at the end of the season will be crowned 'Lion of the Season'.