Heart of Midlothian
Allan Johnston played for which team before Feb 1994?
Allan Johnston Allan Johnston ( born 14 December 1973 ) is a Scottish football player and coach , who is the current Queen of the South manager . Johnston started his professional playing career with Heart of Midlothian and then followed on to French club Rennes before a spell in English football with Sunderland before returning to Scotland with Rangers . Johnston then returned to England with Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday . Johnston returned to Scotland and played out his playing career with Kilmarnock , St Mirren and Queen of the South . Johnston played for Scotland 18 times in full internationals , and also played for the Scotland under-21 and B international teams . Johnston started his managerial career in 2012 , as player-manager of Queen of the South . Johnston won the Second Division championship in his first season as a manager , then moved to Kilmarnock . Johnston departed Rugby Park after 18 months after a dispute with the clubs board about the sale of a player . Johnston was appointed manager of Dunfermline Athletic in 2015 , where he won the League One Championship in his first season . Playing career . Club . Heart of Midlothian . Johnston began his career with Heart of Midlothian , becoming a first-team regular in the mid-1990s . In January 1996 , Johnston scored his first career hat-trick , scoring all three goals in a 3–0 win against Rangers at Ibrox . Johnston picked up a Scottish Cup runners-up medal that season in the defeat to Rangers where Brian Laudrup dominated the final . Rennes . During the summer of 1996 , Johnston moved to French club Rennes ( Aberdeen defender Gary Smith making the same move ) , but he left after less than one season . Sunderland . Johnston finished the season with FA Premier League side Sunderland as they were relegated to the Football League First Division . Although Sunderland were defeated in the 1998 play-off final , the club won the title the following season . During the summer of 1999 , with just one year left on his contract , Johnston began negotiations about an extension . During this time , interest in Johnston was expressed by Rangers and after negotiations broke down with Sunderland , Johnston stated his desire to move to Glasgow . Despite previously being a first-team regular he never appeared for Sunderland in 1999–2000 season and was subsequently loaned to Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers , the latter with whom he appeared in the FA Cup semi-final . However in the semi-final versus Aston Villa he was one of two Bolton players to have their penalty saved by David James as they crashed out in a shoot-out . Johnston was the scorer of the final competitive goal at Roker Park in a 3–0 win over Everton in the final home game of the 1996/97 season . Rangers . At the end of the 1999–00 season , having not featured for Sunderland in the entire campaign , Johnston moved to Rangers on a free transfer , scoring on his debut in a Champions League qualifying match against FBK Kaunas . He scored twice more for Rangers , his strikes coming against Herfolge in another Champions League qualifier and Brechin in the Scottish Cup . Middlesbrough . Little over twelve months later , in late August 2001 and with the FA Premier League season already underway , Johnston moved to Middlesbrough in a £600,000 deal , making his debut in the derby defeat to Newcastle United the following weekend . Johnston scored in his second match against West Ham but failed to score again all season , missing February and March due to injury . The following season , Johnston spent much of the season on loan with Sheffield Wednesday , scoring twice , having only played in two League Cup matches for Boro , subsequently missing the entire 2003–04 season . Kilmarnock . Johnston signed for Kilmarnock in August 2004 , reuniting him with former Hearts management team Jim Jefferies and Billy Brown . In April 2007 , with his contract about to expire , Johnston agreed a new two-year deal , which wasnt extended upon its expiry in June 2009 , resulting in his release from Rugby Park . St Mirren . On 8 August 2009 , Johnston played in a trial match for St Mirren against Wigan Athletic . After the match , manager Gus MacPherson said that he would love to sign him , but felt he might be out of their price range . After making 10 appearances for St Mirren , he was released at the end of the season . Queen of the South . In July 2010 Johnston played as a trialist in four games for Dumfries club Queen of the South . Johnston was then confirmed on the clubs website as having signed a one-year contract on 16 July 2010 . Johnstons competitive league debut for Queens was on 22 August 2010 when he played in central midfield during a 3–1 away win at Cowdenbeath . Johnston scored his first Queens goal in a league win at Palmerston Park versus Partick Thistle on 18 September 2010 . International . Johnston made 18 appearances for Scotland between 1998 and 2002 , and was also capped at under–21 level . Coaching career . Queen of the South ( first spell ) . Queen of the South announced on 21 June 2011 that Johnston had signed a contract as player coach . On 3 May 2012 , Johnston was appointed as Queens new player-manager . Johnston led Queens to a historic double in his first full season in management , winning the Scottish Second Division Championship and the Scottish Challenge Cup . Kilmarnock . Johnston and Clark both signed two-year contracts to join Kilmarnock as the clubs new management team on 24 June 2013 . Queen of the South receive around £30,000 in compensation . Kilmarnock narrowly avoided relegation in Johnstons first season in charge , winning their last two games to finish above the relegation play-off position . The club performed better in the league during his second season , but in February 2015 Johnston announced his intention to leave the club at the end of the season . He had been upset by the sale of Robbie Muirhead , which Johnston said had only been advised to him after the transfer window had closed . The Kilmarnock board then decided to remove Johnston from his position immediately . Dunfermline Athletic . On 8 May 2015 , after three months out of work , Johnston was appointed manager of Scottish League One side Dunfermline Athletic on a one-year contract . His first season with the club saw him twice named Scottish League One Manager of the Month , guide the Pars to the league title and promotion to the Scottish Championship , and additionally , saw the side compete well against Scottish Premiership opposition in both the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup . In April 2016 , Johnston was rewarded for his achievements with a new two-year contract , keeping him at East End Park until Summer 2018 . Johnstons first season in the championship saw the club finish in fifth place , four points off the play-off positions . The following season , Dunfermline finished one place better off which saw them contest the quarter-final play-off against Dundee United . After a goalless first leg , the Pars lost the return leg 2–1 at Tannadice . On 22 May 2018 , Johnston signed a new two-year contract . In January 2019 Dunfermline were not in contention for a play-off spot . On 9 January the club announced Johnston had been relieved of his duties 4 days after Alloa Athletic scored a 94th minute equaliser against Dunfermline after Dunfermline having been 2-0 ahead . Queen of the South ( second spell ) . On 5 May 2019 , soon after Queens ended their league campaign in the 2018–19 Scottish Championship relegation play-off position , the Doonhamers appointed Johnston and Sandy Clark on a two-year contract for their second spell at the Dumfries club ahead of the play-off matches versus Montrose . On 16 April 2021 , Johnston and Clark signed a contract extension to remain as the Doonhamers management team until May 2023 . Honours and Achievements . Player . - Sunderland - Football League First Division : 1998–99 - Queen of the South - Scottish Second Division : 2012–13 - Scottish Challenge Cup : 2012–13 Manager . - Queen of the South - Scottish Second Division : 2012-13 - Scottish Challenge Cup : 2012-13 - Scottish Championship play-offs : 2018-19 - Dunfermline Athletic - Scottish League One : 2015-16 Individual . - Queen of the South - PFA Scotland Manager of the Year ( 1 ) : 2012–13 - Scottish Second Division Manager of the Year 2012–13 - Dunfermline Athletic - SPFL Championship Manager of the Month ( 1 ) : August 2017 - SPFL League One Manager of the Month ( 2 ) : December 2015 , March 2016