Great night for former Yeovil Town boss

11:10am Wednesday 14th May 2008

FORMER Yeovil Town boss Gary Johnson is probably already fully focussed on his date with Wembley and a possible place in the Premier League.

The Bristol City manager saw his side win their Championship play-off semi-final against Crystal Palace 4-2 on aggregate last night at Ashton Gate after extra-time.

They are now just 90 minutes away from the Premier League. They will meet either Hull City or Watford at Wembley in the Championship play-off final on Saturday, May 24.

Hull currently hold the upper hand with a 2-0 advantage following a first-leg victory at Vicarage Road.

But, in true Johnson style, he said after last night's drama at Ashton Gate that nothing had been won yet and "a day out at Wembley will only be a good day out, if we win."

If City do win, and the bookmakers have already installed them as favourites for promotion, then it will conclude an amazing period for the popular Johnson.

Fresh from a spell as manager of the Latvian national side he joined Yeovil Town, who had just finished runners-up in the Nationwide Conference, in the summer of 2001.

In his first season he guided Yeovil to winning the FA Trophy at Villa Park in 2002. The following season he saw Yeovil storm to the Conference title and with it promotion to the Football League.

His first season with Yeovil in the old League Division Three, now known as League Two, the Glovers just missed out on the play-offs on goal difference.

The following 2004-05 season they made no mistake and won the newly-named League Two crown and with it promotion to League One.

He left Yeovil early in the 2005-06 season in his search for a new challenge at Bristol City.

It was not long before he was working his magic at Ashton Gate and they gained automatic promotion to the Championship in 2006-07, while his old club Yeovil missed out in the League One play-off final at Wembley.

And now to this season and he is just 90 minutes from reaching the Premier League.

Johnson's CV is growing ever-impressive: 2002 FA Trophy winners (Yeovil Town); 2003 Nationwide Conference champions (Yeovil Town); 2005 League Two champions (Yeovil Town); 2007 League One promotion (Bristol City); 2008 promotion to the Premier League with Bristol City?

There cannot be too many managers who have gone up through the football pyramid ladder rung-by-rung from non-league to the Premier League in just five years?

But, just as Johnson would reiterate, he hasn't done it yet.

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