Damien Johnson joins new NI manager Ian Baraclough's coaching team
- Published
Damien Johnson captained Northern Ireland in their 3-2 win over Poland in March 2009
Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough has added former international player Damien Johnson to his coaching staff.
Johnson, who earned 56 NI caps between 1999 and 2010, and played at club level for Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City among others, has taken up the role of coaching assistant.
The 41-year-old Lisburn native is Blackburn's First Team Technical Coach and Head of Player Development.
"Damien is a dynamic young coach doing great things," said Baraclough.
"He is a familiar face to many in the squad and as far as the international stage goes, he knows what it's all about," added the new NI boss.
"I'm thankful to Tony Mowbray [Blackburn manager] for allowing Damien to join us for what will be a crucial period of football for the men's senior team."
Playing a part in memorable wins
Johnson joins Jimmy Nicholl, Austin MacPhee and Steve Harper as part of Baraclough's backroom team.
During his international career, midfielder Johnson played an important role in some memorable Northern Ireland victories, including the historic 1-0 win over England in Belfast in 2005 and the 2-1 home success over Sweden in 2007.
He also captained Northern Ireland to a 3-2 win over Poland in March 2009.
Last summer Johnson was promoted to his current role with Championship club Blackburn, having been Under-23s boss at Ewood Park prior to that.
He steered the team to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League 2 top flight in the 2018-19 season and secured the Lancashire FA Senior Cup.
In the 2017-18 season he guided Blackburn's U21s to the PL2 Division 2 title.