[2][3] In January 2013, Shepherd's daughter - Julie Ryan - released a biography about her father entitled "In and out of the Lion's Den: poverty, war and football " (ISBN 978-1481081993).
[2] Shepherd also played semi-professional football at Ashford Town (Kent) (where he was team captain), Margate and Tunbridge Wells, before going to become player/manager at Southwick who were struggling in Sussex County League Division Two at the time.
Shepherd also managed the Sussex Senior Men's representative team and led them to victory in the Southern Counties Amateur Championship.
In 1985, Shepherd, together with co-coach Mick Fogden, led the Brighton Youth Team to become the first club outside London to win the South East Counties Junior Cup.
Following John Shepherd's death in June 2018, Brighton honoured him, together with their former captain, Jimmy Collins, with a minute's applause at the start of their opening match of the 2018/19 season against Manchester Utd at the Amex.