Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Gary Stephen Johnson | ||
Date of birth | 28 September 1955 | ||
Place of birth | Hammersmith, London, England | ||
Playing position | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team
|
Cheltenham Town (manager) | ||
Teams managed | |||
Years | Team | ||
1986–1988 | Newmarket Town | ||
1992–1995 | Cambridge United | ||
1995–1997 | Kettering Town | ||
1999–2001 | Latvia | ||
2001–2005 | Yeovil Town | ||
2005–2010 | Bristol City | ||
2010–2011 | Peterborough United | ||
2011 | Northampton Town | ||
2012–2015 | Yeovil Town | ||
2015– | Cheltenham Town |
Gary Stephen Johnson (born 28 September 1955) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Cheltenham Town.
Johnson was formerly with Cambridge United, Kettering Town, Watford (as director of their youth academy), the Latvian national team, Yeovil Town in two spells, Bristol City, Peterborough United and Northampton Town.
His son Lee is the Manager of Bristol City as of 6 February 2016
Johnson signed for Watford as an apprentice at sixteen and turned professional at the age of eighteen. He then left Vicarage Road and moved to play football in Sweden for Malmö FF. After building up a successful football holiday business, Johnson then returned to England and played part-time football for Soham Town Rangers, Newmarket Town and Cambridge United.
After his playing career ended, Johnson spent the next six years training to earn his coaching badges and took his first managerial job at Newmarket Town in 1986.
Johnson was manager at Newmarket Town, when he was persuaded to join Cambridge United as reserve team manager in 1988. Appointed as assistant manager in 1990, Johnson helped John Beck organise the U's remarkable rise in the early 1990s, in which they came within two matches of becoming the second club to rise from the old Fourth Division to the top flight in successive seasons (after Northampton Town in 1966). Johnson was briefly caretaker manager in late 1992 and then took charge from 1993 until 1995. Under Johnson's stewardship, the U's were contenders for a play-off place in Division Two in 1993–94, before eventually finishing tenth. The following season, many players were sold to balance the books and Johnson moved to take over at Kettering Town.