He really was an ordinary Joe. Born and raised in Bradford, Joe Johnson was a talented player who reached the final of the World Amateur Championship in 1978 but, as a professional had been unable to escape journeyman shackles.

All of that changed when the planets aligned in 1986. It just so happened that the best form of Johnson’s life coincided with his visit to the Crucible.

Johnson remained under the radar when he beat Dave Martin 10-3 in the first round and, to a certain extent, Mike Hallett 13-6 for a quarter-final place.

However, the story of the lead singer of ‘Made in Japan’ who swore by his lucky two tone shoes, suddenly surfaced when, with a burst of unrestrained potting that made a mockery of the hole he was in, Johnson turned a 12-9 deficit against Terry Griffiths into a 13-12 win

Johnson, continuing to play carefree snooker despite the stakes, made short work of Tony Knowles in the semi-finals and, in the Crucible’s ultimate David vs. Goliath encounter, beat Steve Davis, the world no.1, 18-12.

Even when he trailed 14-12 the bookmakers installed Davis as favourite but Johnson ensured a spot in Crucible folklore by winning the following four frames.

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