Johnson returns to Robins as director of football

Gary Johnson left his role as manager of Torquay United in February

Former Cheltenham Town manager Gary Johnson has returned to the club as director of football.

The 68-year-old guided the Robins to the National League title during a three-year spell with the club between 2015 to 2018.

Cheltenham were relegated from League One on the final day of the season and manager Darrell Clarke quit to become the new head coach at Barnsley on Thursday.

Johnson's first task will be to help the board identify and recruit a replacement, the Robins said in a statement welcoming him back to the club.

"Gary comes with a wealth of experience and I'm sure that he will do a really good job," said Cheltenham chairman David Bloxham.

"We're looking forward to working with him again and hope he can help us rebuild and bounce back from the disappointment of last season."

Johnson was most recently manager of Torquay United, leaving Plainmoor in February after five and a half years at the club.

His managerial career began in 1986 at Newmarket Town, taking in spells at Cambridge United, Kettering Town, the Latvia national team, Yeovil Town, Bristol City, Peterborough United and Northampton Town.

He won League Two and Conference [now National League] titles plus the FA Trophy in his time with Yeovil, then claimed League One promotion with Bristol City and took them to the Championship play-off final in 2007-08.

Johnson helped Yeovil to promotion to the Championship for the first time in the club's history in a second stint with the Glovers.

He added more silverware with Cheltenham's National League triumph in 2015-16 and also won the National League South title during his spell at Torquay.