Roger Johnson 'more than ready' for first managerial role at Brackley Town

The former Wolves and Birminghan City central defender was unveiled as the new boss at St James Park last weekend, just 24 hours after the club's shock decision to sack Kevin Wilkin.

Johnson has yet to manage at senior level, although he has experience as the boss of the under-23s at Bromley, and also worked as assistant to manager Andy Woodman at the south London-based National League side.

The 39-year-old will take charge of his first Brackley match on Saturday when the Saints host fellow high-flyers AFC Fylde, and he can't wait to get going.

"It's my first role with a senior team, I did the Under-23s at Bromley and was successful in that," Johnson told brackleytownfc.com

"I stepped over to the first team for the past two seasons, and had a lot of success as first team coach there.

"But I am ready, more than ready.

"I had a long playing career and learned a lot of things along the way, and some of those things I will use, some I won't use.

"Then I will bring my own personality into it, and how I view the game, my DNA, my philosophy, and get the boys to buy into that.

"I am not coming here to mess around, I want to succeed, and quickly."

Johnson will be joined in the dugout at St James by fellow former Wolves players, Stephen Ward and Kevin Foley.

Both have experience in recent coaching roles at professional clubs, with former Republic Of Ireland international Ward has been a player-coach at Walsall, and Foley working as assistant boss with Tampa Bay Rowdies in the USA, and was also part of Rob Edwards' management team at Forest Green Rovers last season.

Johnson says the pair are 'wired like me - we have a similar thought process', and that they are people he knows he will be able to rely on.

"They are people I trust, and I need to have people around me that I trust," said the Brackley boss.

"I want people to challenge me, I don't just want yes men, and I am really happy with the appointments."

Johnson took his first training session with the Brackley squad last week, and has had two sessions this week ahead of the clash with fourth-placed Fylde.

And he will have been a presence out on the training pitch, with the Ashford-born manager saying he is a 'hands-on' coach.

"I like to coach. I am not coming in as a stand-off manager, I am very hands-on myself," said Johnson.

"I will be taking sessions, I will be out there in the mix of it, and I think that is important, that the players get to see exactly what it is that I wanting from them.

"That means there are no question marks, or 'oh, you didn't tell us this, or you didn't tell us that'.

"Everything will be relayed to them so there are no excuses, so they will be well drilled."