Summer signing Johns has hit the ground running for Watford

However, Russo’s fellow Lioness Beth England did manage it for Spurs after her domestic record £250,000 transfer from Chelsea to Tottenham in January.

Lionel Messi wasn't even close to achieiving it when he joined Inter Miami, but Watford legend Luther Blissett not only did it when he joined Bournemouth in 1988, he went two better!

Worked out what it is we’re talking about yet?

It’s certainly not easy, as the above shows, and yet Watford’s Carly Johns has already registered the feat having joined the Hornets this summer.

She’s scored a goal in each of her first three competitive games for her new club.

The 20-year-old arrived from Oxford United just a month ago, but already has three goals in her first three games for Damon Lathrope’s side, who now sit sixth in the Championship table after claiming their first victory of the season with a 3-2 success at Charlton on Sunday.

And that comes hot on the heels of her winning the Golden Boot in the National League Southern Premier Division last season with 15 goals in 22 games for Oxford.

That took her tally to 52 goals in 76 appearance for the U’s in three seasons, making one thing very clear: Carly Johns is a goalscorer.

“As a striker, scoring goals is what I love to do,” she said with a smile, but also a seriousness that showed goals are her business.

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“I just want to have an impact on games. Scoring, assisting, just little bits of link-up play. I love it.

“Scoring a goal is one of the best feelings in the world. I thrive on it. I want to score more and more: if I only score two then I want to get three, four. I always push myself.

“We do analysis of performances here at the club, and then at home I watch recordings of myself and clips of games.

“I’m harsh on myself and my Mum always judges my performances too, and it’s always been like that from a young age.”

Nowadays football careers can start early in primary school and involve playing in different positions, and that was the case with Johns.

“I’ve played all over the pitch since I started. I had a spell at right back, centre midfield, and in my first season I was on the wing,” she recalled.

Johns begins to celebrate her first goal for Watford against Durham (Image: Andrew Waller Images)

“It’s only been recently that I’ve played solely as a striker.

“I started playing with a local team in High Wycombe called Downley Dynamos when I was about eight, and then I moved to the MK Dons Academy when I was nine or ten.

“I stayed there until I was 15, and then I moved to Oxford United when I got to Under-16s.”

In her first season at Oxford, Johns was part of the team that reached the semi-final of the Under-16 FA Youth Cup.

“That was a really, really good first season. I remember a game against Everton and we drew 1-1. I was subbed off in the last minute of normal time, and that meant I couldn’t take a penalty in the shoot-out.

“I was stood watching the penalties biting my nails but we got through to the semi-final and we just missed out against Arsenal. It was a really good experience.”

The following season Johns moved into Oxford’s senior women team and never looked back, scoring 52 times in three seasons. Was it at that point she realised football could be more than just a hobby for her?

“I’ve always aspired to be a professional footballer since I was very young, but yeah that period showed me I could,” she said.

“When I was scoring the goals in that spell I didn’t really think about the stats as much. I was just scoring and going from game to game.

“I didn’t realise until later how many I’d scored in a relatively short space of time. It’s been amazing and looking back now on how many goals I’ve scored is quite cool.”

Last season Johns was part of the Oxford team that was pipped for the National League South Premier Division title by Watford.

She played at Vicarage Road the night the Golden Girls came from a goal down to beat Oxford 2-1 and put themselves on the verge of winning the league.

“I knew Watford were really good and they had a really good playing style as well. I always thought it would suit me because I like playing the ball on the floor,” she said.

Then, on the last day of the season, Oxford lost away at Ipswich while Watford travelled to Billericay and won 3-0, thus putting the Golden Girls into the play-off final – which they went on to win – while condemning Oxford to another season in the National League.

“That was a very emotional day,” Johns admitted.

“The group morale at Oxford was really high, we stayed overnight in Ipswich before the game, we prepared well and we truly believed we’d win that day.

“But as the game went on, we started to lose confidence, and then after the game it was devastating.

“We weren’t really getting told what was happening in the Watford match. A few players on the bench were saying things about the score, but I was trying to keep my head out of it and focus on what I could do in the moment.”

Just a few weeks later, and Johns had ended her time at Oxford and transferred to Watford, thus fulfilling her ambition of moving to the second tier of womens’ football.

“I thought I played well last season, scored a lot of goals and I was ready to challenge myself and go to the next step,” she said.

“The Watford style of play was 100% a big reason I wanted to come here. We play the ball on the floor, we press high and they are both tactics that are perfect for me.”

There’s not much more a striker can do than hit the net on their debut, and Johns did just that in the opening day draw with Durham.

It was a peach of a lob after running onto a delightful ball from fellow debutant Coral Haines that got Johns and Watford off the mark for the season.

“It was a great ball over the top from Coral and as it was dropping I took a look to my right to see what the keeper was doing, and saw she was coming out of her box,” Johns recalled.

“At that point I knew I had to either tap it round her and run onto it, or just go for the lob. I opted for the lob which was the right choice, although I did think one of the covering defenders was going to get to it on the line.

“I curved my run to start celebrating but then started going back the other way when I saw where the defender was. There wasn’t anything I could have done if the defender had got there, but she didn’t anyway.”

A superb finish away at London City gave Johns her second Watford goal (Image: Andrew Waller Images)

Johns then followed that clever piece of skill for her first goal with a true striker’s finish for her second in the 3-2 defeat away at London City Lionesses, running onto Lucia Leon’s pass before drilling a right-foot shot across the keeper and inside the base of the far post from the corner of the six-yard box.

“That goal was aesthetically pleasing,” she laughed.

“It was a brilliant ball round the corner from Lucia and I’d made a run to get onto it. I was concerned I’d taken it too wide at first, but I’ve always been told from a young age that in those situations you go far post with your shot.

“If the keeper saves it they tend to parry it out and that gives a teammate a chance on the follow-up.”

Then it became three in three in the victory at Charlton on Sunday with a different type of goal again, a true poacher’s finish at a corner.

“It’s funny because in training in the week leading up to the game, I’d been working on my movement inside the box,” she said.

“I was talking to Helen Ward, and I said I was struggling sometimes to find those positions where you just tap it in. She said sometimes all you have to do is stay still – and in that moment at Charlton I just stayed still and the ball came to me.

“I was pleased that I got a good touch to set me up for the finish, and it all happened in the moment. I didn’t really have time to think about it, it was instinct.”

Having the all-time record goalscorer for Wales in Ward working as the general manager of Watford Women is very handy for a young striker.

“She has really helped me,” said Johns.

Johns in training inside the Watford FC dome (Image: Andrew Waller Images)

“If I’ve ever got a question about goalscoring or playing in and around the box then I go to Helen.

“I’m looking forward to working with her more and more often.”

Already Johns has shown why Lathrope moved quickly to bring her to Vicarage Road, displaying a real desire to be a striker who plays on the shoulder of defenders.

“Yeah I like to make those runs off a defender, and I’m just as happy to come short and link things up before spinning off. I like movement,” she said.

“When I was younger I struggled to use my body in the correct way. I’m not going to be the strongest so I’ve had to learn how to use my body to my advantage.

“Being able to hold the ball up and hold off defenders is probably one of my most improved attributes.”

At London City, Johns had just more than half an hour playing alongside another new signing in Michelle Agyemang, who has joined Watford on dual registration from Arsenal.

The tall, powerful striker had to go off with a knee injury, but seeing her and Johns playing alongside each other in attack was a tempting taste of things to come.

“I can’t believe Michelle is only 17,” said Johns with a chuckle.

“She is so strong and powerful, and we work around each other. She’s more of the hold-up player who can also spin in behind, and that gives me a free role to drop in or make runs.”

Of course, with goals comes attention, and that could then lead to future opponents seeking to stop Johns individually.

“I thought that about last season and towards the end of last season a lot of teams were trying to double up on me,” she said.

“I’m sure that might happen this season too, but I think about my own game and how can I work around that with my movement. If you move well, then that can be quite hard to mark anyway.

“There is always a way around things.

“The amount of quality in this team is amazing, and that means we will always create chances. We’re not relying on one or two players to create those chances. It comes from the whole team.”

It must not be forgotten that this is Johns’ first taste of football at Championship level.

“It’s quite a big step up to be honest,” she said.

“Players are a lot fitter, there is a lot more pace and you need to be really good on the ball.

“Last season in the National League I got knocked around a lot and was on the ground a fair bit, so the physicality of the Championship isn’t anything I’m not used to.

“The girls in this league are physically strong and there seems to be a lot who are bigger.”

Three goals into her Watford career and we’ve yet to see a trademark celebration, although referring to her as ‘CJ9’ on social media seems to be catching on.

“I didn’t expect to be given the No.9 shirt,” she admitted, “and even when Damon came and told me it took a while to sink in as I was really surprised.

“I’m going to have to work on a goal celebration! Last season I did a few but I didn’t really have a signature one, so I’m going to have to create one!”

Johns runs into to join the celebrations with two-goal Sophie McLean (6) at The Valley (Image: Andrew Waller Images)

After this Sunday’s home game with Blackburn Rovers, there is an international break in the women’s game.

As a 20-year-old who is rapidly making a name for herself as a potent goalscorer in the Championship, has the possibility of getting a call to the England Under-23 squad this season entered Johns’ mind at all?

“I’ve always wanted to play for my country, that’s the ultimate goal,” she said.

“But I like to take things step by step. I don’t like to think too far into the future.

“At the start of the season I set myself little goals, things like how many goals I can score, how many assists I can get, how many minutes I’ll play.

“So there’s those shorter-term goals and some medium-term goals, then there are longer-term goals like playing for England.

“There are Championship players who play at international level, so it is possible. But I feel I just need to keep working hard and focus on what I can control.”

A medium-term goal might be helping Watford to stay in the Championship after gaining promotion last season.

“I think a lot of people believe we can’t compete at this level,” said Johns.

“But the performances in the first three games show it’s obvious we can compete, and I believe we can be competitive towards the top end of the table.”