Merseyside football legends gathered to pay their respects to former Liverpool, Everton and England striker David Johnson.
Johnson's funeral was held at St. Peter's Church in Woolton on Tuesday (December 13), The striker, from Halewood, died in November at the age of 71. He had been ill for some time, having been diagnosed with throat cancer.
Johnson's coffin was carried in a Liverpool FC-themed hearse and the funeral cortege stopped at both Goodison Park and Anfield before making its way to Woolton. An Everton-themed hearse was also part of the procession.
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Many former Everton and Liverpool players attended the service. Johnson's coffin was carried into the church by former Liverpool players Sammy Lee, John Aldridge, Howard Gayle and Phil Thompson.
Sir Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen, Steve McManaman, Phil Neal, John Barnes, Mark Lawrenson and Chris Kirkland were also among the former Reds in attendance. They were joined by ex-Everton stars, including Ian Snodin, Joe Royle, Graham Stuart and Kevin Ratcliffe.
After the service, John Aldridge paid tribute to Johnson, who was known as 'The Doc' at Liverpool. Aldridge told the ECHO : “It shows you the respect we’ve all got for the Doc. It’s a sad day. The ex-players are always going to be sorely missed.
"He was a joker, you had great craic with him. And he was a great player, let’s not forget - he was a great player for both clubs.
"It’s a really sad day and our condolences go to the family. Our thoughts are with the family, but we feel it as well. He was such a lovely man, a huge character both on and off the pitch.
"He played for both Merseyside clubs but he was a huge Liverpool fan - he used to hitchhike to games when he was young, that’s how big of a fan he was. He was a Kopite who lived the dream, he was so proud of doing that, he was so proud of playing for Liverpool. He had always wanted to play for Liverpool.”
Johnson began his career at Everton in 1969 and scored on his debut against Burnley in 1971. Though Bill Shankly was interested in luring the young striker across Stanley Park, he was signed by Bobby Robson for Ipswich Town in 1972.
Liverpool paid a club record fee of £200,000 to bring Johnson back to Merseyside in 1976. He spent six years at Anfield, scoring 78 goals in 213 appearances for the Reds and winning four league titles, two league cups and two European Cups in the process.
Johnson returned to Everton in 1982, spending two years there, before spells at Barnsley, Manchester City and Preston North End, as well as playing in America and Malta. The Halewood-born striker was also capped eight times by England, scoring six goals.
After his career, Johnson worked as a summariser on BBC Radio Merseyside and was a host in corporate lounges at Anfield. Liverpool FC took to Twitter to pay tribute to their former striker.
The club wrote: "David Johnson's hearse today passed Anfield on the day of his funeral. Rest in peace, Doc. You'll Never Walk Alone." Aldridge also added another tribute on Twitter, saying: "RIP The Doc!! Great knowing you pal. YNWA".
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