Get Well Soon Gaffer
UPDATED: Cheltenham Town manager Gary Johnson has today had successful heart surgery and is now in recovery.
Gary missed last Saturday’s match at Doncaster Rovers having gone down with a heavy cold but continued to feel unwell and was admitted to hospital over the weekend. He has undergone the procedure today and looks set to miss the next few weeks away from work while he recuperates. It is anticipated that the surgery will be straightforward and the prognosis for a swift and full recovery is good.
Assistant manager Russell Milton will remain in charge of the team in Gary's absence with support from the existing backroom staff.
Cheltenham Town chairman Paul Baker commented, "We wish Gary a full and speedy recovery from his operation and we will be offering our full support to him and his family over the next few weeks.
"The most important thing is that Gary returns to full health and the backroom staff led by Russell are more than capable of running things in his absence. We look forward to welcoming Gary back once he has been cleared to return to work but, realistically, this may take some time but the board will give Gary their full support in his recovery process.”
Despite missing the last two games Gary has been closely involved with the team having watched the match videos and spoken in detail to both Russell Milton and other members of staff before and after the matches.
Sports therapist Gavin Crowe, performance analyst Tim Bell, fitness coach Ian Hutton, goalkeeping coach Steve Book and head of recruitment Peter Johnson have all shared the workload with Russell and will continue to form a close-knit team for the remaining nine matches of the season.
Watch Chairman Paul Baker speaking to Robins TV about the news here: