By Andy Mitchell
LIFE in the Football League has never been tougher for promoted clubs according to Cheltenham boss Gary Johnson – and he predicts the gap will get bigger.
The Robins bounced back into League Two at the first attempt under Johnson’s guidance last season, racking up 101 points to see off noisy neighbours Forest Green Rovers.
Historically, clubs have taken the step up in their stride with the likes of Stevenage, Crawley and most recently giants Bristol Rovers soaring to back-to-back promotions.
Infrastructure
But with Cheltenham in danger of becoming the first club to go straight back down since automatic promotion to the Football League was introduced in 1987, Johnson has been forced into sweeping changes and warned this season’s promotion hopefuls to expect a bumpy ride.
Johnson told The NLP: “League Two is getting a lot more quality than it used to. A lot of good players are coming down because of the influx of overseas players at the top end.
“The top five or six (National League) teams could handle this level like Grimsby have, but I think it would be difficult for them to raise their game enough to get to League One unless they spend quite a bit of money. There is a gap and it is getting bigger so you have to bridge that by bringing in players you know can compete at this level.
“I hope the next ones up do not struggle, but they will have to be ready. They can’t see it as another National League, you need to try to get the players and infrastructure in place to compete on and off the pitch.”
Crowd favourite Scott Brown returns between the sticks with Oldham midfielder Carl Winchester also among six fresh faces at Whaddon Road.
Shake-up
Danny Parslow and Amari Morgan-Smith are the latest title winners to head for the exit, joining struggling York City on loan for the rest of the season.
The changes have already had an impact as Cheltenham clambered out of the bottom two with a 3-0 win over Accrington 12 days ago, but Johnson acknowledged the shake-up had been done with a heavy heart.
“I know the league well and had hoped to get most of last season’s players featuring,” he added. “Unfortunately, we have had bad luck with injuries, decisions that have gone against us and too many draws.
“That group from last season could have been where Grimsby are, although they have changed a lot of their players as well, but you can’t keep getting hit round the head with a stick and not duck at some point. You have to change something.
“A few friends had to go and we had to bring in a few to make us stronger. At the moment, we look like we have done that.”
