Kent born, Johnny Jordan began his footballing days playing for local side Bromley, before he crossed the River Thames to play for Grays Athletic. His goatally marked him out as one of the most promising players on the non-league scene.
West Ham United spotted his goal-scoring talent and signed Johnny on amateur terms in 1946, but after one season he moved to Tottenham as a professional in 1947, having threatened to leave when he was named in the England amateur squad. A fine debut season saw the striker score 10 goals in 24 league games, which caught the eye of Juventus and Jordan moved to Italy after a single season at White Hart Lane, with big money being put on the table, which Spurs could not turn down. However, Jordan did not have a good time in Italy and he returned to England after seven months to play for Birmingham City continuing his one season tour of football clubs and then onto Sheffield Wednesday.
In 1951, he broke the habit of a lifetime by moving to Tonbridge Angels, where he spent two seasons and then finished his career at Bedford Town.