In a surprise which shocked the core of non-league football, Taunton Town have announced the managerial appointment of Gary Johnson following the departure of Richard Luffman.
Johnson began his managerial career in Cambridgeshire with Cambridge United at the start of the 1993/94 season before heading over to Europe to take on the Latvian national team in 1999. Once Johnson returned to England, he headed to Huish Park for his first stint as manager for 4 years.
Spells at Bristol City, Peterborough United, and Northampton Town were building up to the peak of his managerial career where he took Yeovil Town in 2013 to their first ever promotion to the Championship, defeating Brentford at Wembley 2-1.
Gary then spent time at Cheltenham where he managed to get the Robins back into the football league after a one-year hiatus from the EFL. Following that a 6-year stint at Plainmoor followed before heading back to Whaddon Road to become the director of football for Cheltenham.
Fans took to social media to express their delight at the appointment with some branding the decision to bring Johnson in as “exciting” and “bold” with the 70-year-old looking to cap off a decorated career in the game with a stop at Wordsworth Drive.
The Peacocks play at step 3 of non league in the Southern Premier League and hover above the relegation zone prior to Johnson’s appointment with the Somerset outfit only a couple of seasons ago playing within the national league system.
Gary has already got his first win at the helm at the weekend with Taunton beating 8-man Gloucester City 2-1 at Wordsworth with goals from Tom Purrington and Ben Seymour securing all three points on the afternoon.
For Taunton, the dream is to make their return to the National League South and with an abundance of experience in the dugout it is sure to boost the odds higher than ever before.