The Middlesbrough winger will have his full entourage of family and friends at the Stadium of Light to watch the Wear-Tees derby, which could prove vital in the scrap to avoid relegation.

But they won't necessarily be cheering on the Easington-born 20-year-old.

Johnson admits virtually all of his associates are Sunderland fans and they will be keeping their fingers crossed that Roy Keane's side can prevail in a clash which will virtually seal the victors status in the Premier League.

Although Johnson himself was never a Sunderland fan as a youngster, he has been fully briefed about their precarious position.

He said: "Practically all my family and friends are Sunderland fans and most of them will be at the game.

"The game is just as important for Sunderland as it is for us. They are practically in the same position in the league and there is obviously a lot more expectation on them as the home team.

"I played the last 15 minutes of the game at the Stadium of Light in 2006 (Boro won 3-0) so I have had a taste of it and I have played in the derby against Newcastle and it was pretty similar.

"It was obviously a good atmosphere in the stadium and hopefully there will be a bit more of the same."

Johnson is fully expecting a fierce reaction from Sunderland after Keane's side suffered a lacklustre 2-0 defeat at Newcastle last Sunday. But Boro will also be looking to bounce back after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Bolton at the Riverside.

Johnson said: "We want to put Bolton behind us and look forward to the derby because it is a massive game. Neither team is out of the relegation fight.

"I don't think we necessarily need to win but I think we need a good performance, which is the main thing. It will be a feisty affair with tackles flying in and they are always tight games.

"Having two derby games in two weeks will motivate them a bit more after losing at Newcastle. But our focus is on us. We need a performance after a poor display against Bolton.

"I think everyone is confident we can go there and beat them."

Johnson is likely to start tomorrow's game on the bench and admits he will have to sort out his future with Boro boss Gareth Southgate in the summer.

The England U21 international has not started a game for Boro since their 2-0 win in the FA Cup fourth round at Mansfield, back in January.

Johnson said: "I will sit down with the manager in the summer and
discuss what is going to happen with me. I would like to be a regular at Middlesbrough next season but we will have to wait and see.

"I have been getting on quite a bit recently which has been good and hopefully I can start a few games."


The full article contains 507 words and appears in Sunderland Echo newspaper.