Ex-Sunderland boss outlines new ambitions after being appointed at League One club

Former Sunderland boss Lee Johnson says he hopes he can push towards the Championship with new club Fleetwood.

The League One club appointed Johnson on Sunday, less than three weeks after the 42-year-old was sacked by SPL side Hibernian.

Fleetwood sacked manager Scott Brown earlier this month, after taking just one point from their first six league games of the season.

Reacting to his appointment, Johnson told Fleetwood’s website: “I’m absolutely delighted to be here, I’m not long out of a job and I’ve been humbled that the club made such a big effort to get me here but, at the same time, I’ve known Fleetwood for a long time. I’ve watched the journey, which has been fantastic for the football club, and I want to be part of the new era by helping the success continue.

“I’ve had good friends who have managed here, and they all spoke well about the club, that’s not just the fanbase and the players, but the people around the place as well. I’m looking forward to getting down and dirty with the players, the people around the building, and the staff.

“I started my professional career at Yeovil, and I would say it’s kind of a similar theme around the place in terms of it being a family club, the size of the town, and have both built up through non-league and to the heights they are now. It’s 10 years they’ve been in League One and now the next step is to try and push for the Championship.”

Johnson was appointed Sunderland’s head coach in December 2020, before winning the 2021 EFL Trophy three months into the job by beating Tranmere at Wembley.

Sunderland were then beaten by Lincoln City in the play-offs later that season, after finishing fifth in the table.

Despite a promising start to the 2021/22 campaign, Johnson was then sacked by Sunderland in January 2022 following a 6-0 defeat against Bolton.

The Black Cats would go on to win promotion via the play-offs under Alex Neil, beating Wycombe in the final.