Gary Johnson, the 68-year-old football legend, has returned to Cheltenham Town as their director of football after leaving his role as manager of Torquay United in February. Johnson previously led the Robins to the National League title during his three-year tenure with the club from 2015 to 2018. The recent relegation of Cheltenham from League One prompted the departure of manager Darrell Clarke to Barnsley, and Johnson’s first task will be to assist the board in finding a new manager for the team.
Johnson’s managerial career spans several clubs, including Yeovil Town, Bristol City, and Northampton Town, where he achieved various titles and promotions. At Yeovil, he won League Two and Conference titles as well as the FA Trophy. He also secured League One promotion with Bristol City and guided them to the Championship play-off final in 2007-08. Additionally, he helped Yeovil achieve promotion to the Championship for the first time in the club’s history and led Cheltenham to a National League title in 2015-16. Johnson also won the National League South title during his time at Torquay United before returning to Cheltenham Town as director of football.
Cheltenham chairman David Bloxham expressed confidence in Johnson’s abilities, citing his wealth of experience in the sport. He stated that they are looking forward to collaborating with Johnson once again and hope that he can help the team recover from the disappointment of last season. The Robins are currently struggling in their quest for promotion back into League One, but with Johnson on board as their director of football, they may have just what it takes to turn things around and achieve their goal once again.
