Ryan Johnson

Loan spells All four of Johnson's appearances for Stevenage during the 2014–15 season came in the opening two months of the season. This included receiving a red card for two bookable offences within the space of six minutes in a 2–1 away defeat to Bury on 16 September 2014. A month later, he joined Conference South club Boreham Wood on a one-month loan on 24 October 2014 in order to gain first-team experience. He made one appearance during the brief spell, as a 90th-minute substitute in a 2–1 victory over Maidenhead United on 10 November 2014. He returned to Stevenage later that month and played for the club's development squad for the remainder of the season. The 2015–16 season followed a similar course with Johnson appearing regularly in the match-day squad, but often as an unused substitute,

Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Johnson joined National League South club St Albans City on loan, alongside teammate Dipo Akinyemi, in a deal running until January 2017. The move followed a request for more first-team football, which he discussed with Stevenage manager Darren Sarll. Johnson scored his first competitive goal in St Albans' 2–1 victory over Chelmsford City on 16 August 2016, scoring with a header from a corner kick. He sustained a knee injury while on international duty with the Northern Ireland under-21 team in September 2016, sidelining him for two months. He returned in early December and was recalled by Stevenage later that month, a month earlier than planned.

Despite reported interest from Premier League and Championship clubs, Johnson remained at Stevenage and rejoined Boreham Wood on a season-long loan agreement in July 2017. After starting two of the club's first three matches, Johnson did not feature again and the loan was ended in December 2017. Johnson made his Nuneaton debut in a 2–0 loss to Brackley Town on 6 January 2018. He was a mainstay in central defence during his time at Nuneaton, making 19 appearances. He made his Kidderminster debut on the opening day of the 2018–19 season, playing the full match in a 3–3 draw away at Alfreton Town. He made 19 league appearances before signing permanently on 4 January 2019 for an undisclosed fee, with Stevenage inserting a "significant sell-on fee" into the transfer. Johnson scored his first goal for the club in a 4–1 victory against Chester on 9 February 2019, and made 36 appearances as Kidderminster finished 10th in National League North. Johnson played 30 times during the 2019–20 season, scoring one goal, in a season that was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. He then joined National League club Hartlepool United following a successful trial, signing a short-term contract on 29 September 2020. He scored the winning goal on his debut in a 2–1 victory against Chesterfield on 6 October 2020. After scoring twice in his first four appearances, his contract was extended on 30 October 2020. Johnson signed a further contract extension on 22 January 2021, with the new agreement running for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. Johnson made 39 appearances and scored five goals as Hartlepool earned promotion to the Football League after defeating Torquay United on penalties in the 2021 National League play-off final.

Port Vale Out of contract upon the conclusion of the promotion-winning season at Hartlepool, Johnson signed for fellow League Two club Port Vale on a two-year contract on 27 June 2021. Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke described him as a "powerful left footed centre-half" with further potential. starting three league matches and making eight appearances in all competitions during his time there. Port Vale director of football David Flitcroft confirmed the transfer included add-on clauses. He made his debut for Stockport five days later in a 4–1 victory at Altrincham and scored his first goal in a 3–0 FA Trophy victory against Larkhall Athletic on 15 January 2022. He made 23 appearances in the second half of the 2021–22 season as Stockport returned to the Football League as champions of the National League. He played 33 times during the 2022–23 season, though did not feature in the play-offs.

AFC Wimbledon

Johnson signed a two-year contract with fellow League Two club AFC Wimbledon on 26 June 2023, with the head of football operations Craig Cope describing him as "a real physical presence at the back". He scored his first goal for Wimbledon with a header in a 3–0 win at Sutton United on 19 August. He said he had a "dream start" to the 2023–24 season as he formed a central defensive partnership alongside Stockport County loanee Joe Lewis. He missed two months towards the end of the campaign with an ankle injury, making 38 appearances during his debut season at Wimbledon.

Johnson was appointed vice-captain ahead of the 2024–25 season. He did not play during September due to injury, though returned to captain the team in the absence of club captain Jake Reeves. He was nominated for the PFA League Two Fans' Player of the Month award in February 2025, having played every minute as Wimbledon conceded just one goal in six matches. He played in the 2025 EFL League Two play-off final, helping Wimbledon to secure promotion with a 1–0 victory over Walsall. Having made 49 appearances during the season, Johnson signed a new two-year contract in June 2025, with manager Johnnie Jackson describing him as "a leader within the group and an integral part of our defensive unit".

Johnson made his 100th appearance for the club in November 2025. He made 45 appearances and scored four goals during the 2025–26 season. Johnson received his first call-up to represent Northern Ireland at under-21 level in September 2015, playing the full match in a 2–1 defeat to Scotland in a 2017 UEFA European under-21 Championship qualifier. He scored his first international goal three days later in a 1–1 away draw with Iceland in Reykjavík. Johnson made four appearances, scoring once, as Northern Ireland finished bottom of the qualification group. He remained a regular at centre-back during the subsequent 2019 UEFA European under-21 Championship qualifying campaign.

Style of play Johnson is left-footed League One

2014–15 League Two

13!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!13!!0 Boreham Wood (loan) 2014–15 National League South

Boreham Wood (loan) 2017–18 League Two

2021–22 League Two

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2023–24 League One

2026–27 League One

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308!!17!!9!!0!!8!!0!!25!!3!!350!!20

Honours Hartlepool United National League play-offs: 2021

Stockport County National League: 2021–22

AFC Wimbledon EFL League Two play-offs: 2025