Sunderland man admits 'nerves' against Blackpool and talks 'outside noise' after transfer move

Sunderland defender Zak Johnson has admitted experiencing some nerves against Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on Saturday afternoon.

Régis Le Bris’ side won the game 1-0 with Johnson subbed on at half-time after Aji Alese picked up a minor knock against the Seasiders. The 19-year-old former Hartlepool United loanee admitted he was delighted to get the nod but also revealed nerves at the sudden and unplanned call-up.

“I was a bit surprised, to be honest,” Johnson admitted of his half-time introduction. “Sometimes when you're looking at these games and you know you're a defender, you feel like the other players that are playing ahead of you are going to get the 90 minutes in the tank. So I wouldn't say that I was overly confident of coming on in the game.

“However, I did prepare like I was going to play any other game and when I got the call-up, a little bit of nerves, but I just felt like it was a good game to kind of see what I'm capable of against a good opposition. So I'm just delighted with how it went.”

Johnson has just returned from a loan spell at Dundalk in Ireland. The League of Ireland season runs on a different schedule from the English football season and continues throughout the summer. The Irish outfit were keen to keep the central defender during the summer after his impressive stint.

The situation surrounding the England youth international defender’s future in Ireland this summer prompted some speculation across the Irish Sea and some considerable noise before Johnson’s eventual return to England.

“I feel like obviously that's just a little bit of outside noise, to be honest,” Johnson said about returning to Sunderland from Dundalk. “Coming back from where I was in Ireland, given the time off that I had, I knew that if I come back in, whatever the plan was for me, I know that if I'm in the building, I'm going to give it 100% and try and impress the gaffer as much as I can. 

“Obviously, I've spoken about the outside noise, I feel like if I just kept my head down, given the opportunities that I've been given like today, just try and give 100 per cent and do my best and I feel like on the back of my season out in Ireland and getting their men's games, I felt like it's shown there where I feel really comfortable against a men's opposition.”

“I felt like the game went really well,” Johnson added on the Blackpool performance. “I was just focused and obviously playing with Luke at the back, I feel like that's given me a lot of confidence just to focus on my own game, which is really important for me, especially as a young lad coming on. 

“So I was delighted with how it went and I feel like all the speculation of where I'm going or how long I'm going to have off, and if I'm going to even come back with the first team, I feel like I just try to give 100 per cent wherever I was.”