We are delighted to announce that our record breaking manager Gary Johnson has signed a new contract to extend his stay at Plainmoor.
Appointed as manager in mid-September 2018, Johnson reinvigorated a side languishing in mid-table, and oversaw an astonishing turnaround that eventually saw the club win the National League South by ten points.
“I’m delighted that we could get this sorted pretty quickly and in time for the new season,” said Torquay United CEO George Edwards (pictured right). “Last season was an exciting journey, becoming Champions with three games to go from the position the club was in, is an exceptional achievement and we can now look forward to achieving our ambition of League 2 football and beyond.”
“It was a no-brainer for me,” said Gary about the new deal. “I really have enjoyed my time here. I just thought it was a natural thing to do because I’ve got no thoughts of going anywhere, doing anything else, because I’ve enjoyed what’s been happening to the football club, and I’m pleased to be a part of it.”
With the support of the chairman Clarke Osborne, CEO George Edwards, and club director Mel Hayman, Gary feels the club is in great shape to move forward.
“I’ve seen lots of improvements – the training ground looks fantastic at the moment. When I brought in the new players they were impressed with our facilities. The work that people have done to improve the club, and tidy it up, has been tremendous. It’s credit to George, it’s credit to Mel Hayman, and obviously Clarke, because there is finance that you don’t always actually see that is going into the football club. We’ve got to get an improvement as much as we can off the field, and we’ve got to get an improvement as much as we can on the field. I like working with people that see it that way as well.
“Once you get the momentum forward, that’s the time to really push on, keep it going. I think we’ve got the right people on our ‘bus’.”
Along the way to securing United’s first league title in 92 years, a number of records were set during Johnson’s tenure, including:
• Biggest FA Cup win (7-0 v Lymington)
• Most consecutive league wins (10)
• Most league games unbeaten (16)
• Most goals (93)
• Best Goal Difference (+52)
• Most league wins (27)
• Fewest league defeats (8)
• Most points (88)
• Quickest goal (10 seconds, Kalala v St Albans – Away)
Watch out for an interview with Gary coming to Official TUFC TV soon.