Despite being relegated last season, Yeovil Town fans have had a summer that has resulted in a fair amount of optimism for the new campaign. With plenty of new faces on the pitch, there is one place that they did not want to see changes, and that was in the dugout.
Since returning to South Somerset in 2012, Johnson has saved the Glovers from relegation to League Two, as well as securing their promotion to the Championship for the first time in their history. Despite making an immediate return to League One, Johnson is considered a legend at Huish Park having gained promotion three times in two spells with the club.
At the end of last season, Johnson was coy on his future, and although he still had a year left on his contract, it did not stop some Town fans becoming anxious that he may move on. In an interview with BBC Radio Somerset earlier this week, the Yeovil boss was asked about retirement and any plans to leave the League One side. He responded,
“I’ve got no thoughts of doing anything else at the moment. While I’m still thinking like that then this is the place I want to be.”
Johnson went on to say,
“To be in the game this long is a success in itself and I’ll just keep going. This is home for me.”
This will be music to all Glovers fans ears as all the success that the club has experienced in the last 11 years is down to Gary Johnson, and his ability to create a promotion winning squad with one of the smallest budgets in the league.
Town’s pre-season campaign continues tonight against Plymouth Argyle at Home Park. On the back of a 4-1 home defeat to Cardiff City, Johnson is expected to make changes to the side in order to fine tune his starting 11, and give the rest of the squad 90 minutes. They will come up against former Yeovil striker Reuben Reid who fell out of favour, spending last season on loan at Home Park, and was then subsequently released this summer. The striker told Herald Sport,
“It started off really well at Yeovil, I was in good shape in pre-season, and played against Plymouth and got a hat-trick. But in football, for whatever reason, things don’t always go the way you hope they will pan out, and I moved here (to Argyle). I couldn’t be happier.”
He will be looking to get one over on his old side with the game looking as if it will be a test for both sides as they look towards the new campaign.
You can listen to Gary Johnson’s full interview by clicking here.
