User:Ytfc23/YTFC Sandbox/Gary Johnson

Gary Stephen Johnson (born 28 September 1955) is an English retired semi-professional footballer and current manager of Torquay United.

A diminutive centre-midfielder as a player, Johnson started at his local club Fulham before leaving their youth team to sign for Watford. He never broke into the first team and went to train with Malmö FF in Sweden for a couple of years before returning to England play for non-league sides Soham Town Rangers and Newmarket Town, while in non-league football Johnson set up a football coaching company running soccer schools for children. Johnson started his managerial career as player-manager in the Eastern Counties League with Newmarket Town, before after two seasons he left to become reserve team coach at Cambridge United. Two years later he became John Beck's assistant manager, during his time in the role Cambridge earned successive promotions and found themselves on the verge of the Premier League. After Beck's departure, Johnson had a brief spell in caretaker charge before taking over permanently in at the end of the season. Johnson spent two seasons in charge of Cambridge but with the club heading for relegation from the Football League he was relieved of his position. Johnson was then appointed manager of Conference side Kettering Town, but was sacked after eighteen months in the role. After a less than successful period as a manager Johnson returned to coaching and rejoined Watford, where Graham Taylor offered him the role of academy director. With Watford about to promote him to the role of first team coach, he was invited by an agent to help facilitate the transfer of Latvian players to England and after impressing the Latvian Football Federation he was appointed the manager of the Latvia national football team. On the field his time in Latvia was less than successful with only one competitive win and he left the job after a 1–1 draw with San Marino in April 2001.

Johnson returned to England as manager of Conference side Yeovil Town who had narrowly missed out on promotion to the Football League, one of Johnson's first signing was his son Lee whom he had been previously introduced to the Watford academy. Yeovil finished third in his first season, but had success lifting the FA Trophy, for the first time in the club's history. Johnson built on this success by guiding Yeovil to the Conference title in his second season in charge winning the title by a records points margin and earning promotion to the Football League for the first time in the club's 108-year history. After missing out on the Third Division play-offs on goal difference in their first season in the league, Yeovil won the League Two title in 2005 and promotion to the third tier. Having rejected a number of offers, Johnson left Yeovil in September 2005 for their West Country rivals Bristol City. After stabilising the club, in his first full season in charge he guided them to promotion from League One to the second tier of English football. He guided Bristol City to fourth place in the Championship and the 2008 Football League Championship play-off Final but the club missed out on promotion to the Premier League. After two seasons of mid-table finishes Johnson was sacked by Bristol City in March 2010, following his departure Johnson had brief spells with Peterborough United and Northampton Town before in January 2012 he returned to Yeovil Town replacing his former captain Terry Skiverton who subsequently became his assistant. His first full season in charge saw Johnson guide Yeovil to a third promotion, this time via the play-offs, and into the second tier for the first time in the club's history. Yeovil's time in the Championship was short-lived suffering an immediate relegation and with the club facing a second successive relegation Johnson was sacked in February 2015.

Less than two months later, Johnson was appointed manager of struggling League Two side Cheltenham Town but having failed to avoid relegation he led them to an immediate return to the Football League winning the National League title by a twelve-point margin, the first time a relegated team had won the National League title since 1989, and Johnson became only the second manager to win multiple National League titles. After two seasons of guiding Cheltenham to safety in League Two, Johnson was sacked in August 2018 four matches into the new season. In September 2018, Johnson was hired by National League South side Torquay United and guided them to the title and promotion back to the National League.

Playing career
   

Yeovil Town

 * Friend Graham Nickless
 * Yeovil 3–2 Plymouth, nominated for FIFA Fair Play Award
 * Departure for Bristol City
 * Departure for Bristol City

Yeovil Town

 * Reappointed January 2012
 * Promotion to the Championship
 * Sacked February 2015

Cheltenham Town

 * Heart surgery
 * Heart surgery
 * Heart surgery
 * Heart surgery

On 21 August 2018, four matches into the 2018–19 season Johnson was sacked by Cheltenham Town after only picking up just a single point from their opening four matches.

Torquay United
On 13 September 2018, Johnson was appointed manager of National League South side Torquay United following the sacking of Gary Owers after just three wins in their opening nine league games this season.

14th when he took over

Managerial statistics

 * A. Statistics for Johnson's time at Newmarket Town and Kettering Town only include league matches.

Personal life

 * Gibraltarian mother
 * Brothers Pete (chief scout) & Steve, fourth brother Mike not in football.
 * Wife Karen
 * Son Lee
 * Son Lee

Coach

 * Cambridge United
 * Football League Third Division: 1990–91
 * Football League Fourth Division play-off winners: 1989–90

Manager

 * Yeovil Town
 * Football League One play-offs: 2012–13
 * Football League Two: 2004–05
 * Football Conference: 2002–03
 * FA Trophy: 2001–02


 * Bristol City
 * Football League One runners-up: 2006–07


 * Cheltenham Town
 * National League: 2015–16


 * Torquay United
 * National League South: 2018–19


 * Individual
 * Football League Outstanding Managerial Performance: 2014
 * LMA League One Manager of the Year: 2012–13
 * Football League One Manager of the Month: April 2006, March 2007
 * Football League Two/Football League Third Division Manager of the Month: September 2003, September 2004, December 2004
 * Football Conference Manager of the Year: 2002–03
 * National League/Football Conference Manger of the Month: January 2002, September 2002, March 2003, April 2003 (joint), February 2016
 * National League South Manager of the Month: October 2018