The phrase “fit, firing and raring to go” is one that can easily be applied to almost any sportsman and woman at any time of the year.

But when it refers to Cheltenham Town manager Gary Johnson it carries extra meaning.

The 61-year-old had heart surgery at the back end of last season but he is now fully recovered and looking forward to the new season as much as any in his 30-plus years as a manager.

“I’m fine,” he said. “I’m 100 per cent fit and I’m absolutely ready for the rigours of the new season.

“The plan was always to come back fit and strong for the start of pre-season on 28th June.”

Johnson’s assistant Russell Milton took charge while Johnson was recovering from his operation and there were some anxious moments before the club secured their place in League Two for another season with a 1-0 win over Hartlepool United on the penultimate weekend of the season.

“I kept in touch with the lads via video links and I had one-to-one chats with them,” said Johnson. “But of course, I missed the day-to-day involvement and it was the thought of football that kept me going.

“I knew I wanted to get well and get back.”

Now, with a two-year contract in his back pocket, he will be looking to guide Cheltenham up the table after last season’s difficulties.

So, what’s the aim this season?

“It has to be promotion,” he said. “Every club wants promotion. Even the Dog and Duck want promotion. The fans don’t want to hear that the aim is to consolidate for the next 10 years.

“It won’t be easy because of the financial fair play regulations but we’ve definitely improved on last year. What I have to make sure we do is get value for our money.

“Last season I promised the players who won the National League that I’d give them a chance in League Two. Some took their chance and others didn’t so I had to bring in reinforcements in January.

“We picked up a lot more points after that and we’ve kept the core of those players together and added to them.”

Johnson has been encouraged by what he has seen in pre-season training.

“We’ve got some characters in the squad,” he said. “When the going gets tough – and it always does – we’ve got people who will go out and play. We’ve got a lot of committed players.”

Johnson is also looking forward to playing week in, week out on a better pitch at Whaddon Road. Gloucester City will no longer be playing their home matches at the ground this season and a lot of time and effort has gone into improving the surface over the summer.

“There’s no hiding the fact that it was a terrible surface to play on,” admitted Johnson. “It meant we had to play a longer game, a percentage game. We couldn’t pass the ball around at the back because there were loose bits of mud everywhere.”

So, while Cheltenham’s fans can expect a different style of football this season, they are also excited by a fixture list that contains more big names than some so-called ‘celebrity’ weddings.

Coventry City, Swindon Town and Notts County will all be heading to Cheltenham this season. Throw in the local derbies against Forest Green Rovers, Yeovil Town and Newport County and it’s easy to see why there is so much interest in the upcoming campaign.

Johnson, 62 in September, is as excited as any of the fans. “I can’t wait to get started,” he said.