Comment: Will Gary Johnson be the man leading Yeovil Town next year?

Amongst the excitement of Yeovil Town hammering home their promotion credentials one issue seems to have have almost slipped under the radar - who will lead the Glovers next year?

Having taken the Huish Park outfit to the brink of potentially the most successful season in their history whilst recreating a buzz similar to his first spell in charge, the main architect could walk away.

That is obviously the worst case scenario and this is by no means an article that intends to upset the apple cart, sour an unforgettable few months or create unnecessary mischief.

In fact, covering Yeovil during this campaign has already produced some of the most enjoyable experiences of my career and never have I relished a 720-mile round trip to Hartlepool as much as this week.

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However, what cannot be ignored is that it is the Western Gazette's understanding that manager Gary Johnson is out of contract in the summer and negotiations of a new deal have been barely mentioned on Lufton Way let alone started.

Little under a fortnight ago Johnson - who returned in January 2012 on a deal with an unspecified length - mentioned how the Glovers must start planning for every eventuality for the 2013-14 season.

Promotion to the npower Championship would clearly send Yeovil's workforce into summer overtime but sealing the future of the club's most successful ever boss along with his back room staff must be top of those priorities.

Obvious doubt hangs over which division the Glovers will compete in next season, with this factor playing too prominent a role in delaying decisions over players' deals in recent seasons.

However, having proven he can launch a promotion push on limited resources in League One, what is to say that Johnson couldn't do it again next year at the same level?

Admittedly Johnson holds all the aces in negotiations. He has worked wonders to take Yeovil to within spitting distance of the top two, has moulded a hard-working and energetic squad and has got many fans back on side.

But this is even more reason why proactivity right now could work in everyone's favour. News of a managerial contract renewal - or at least the start of talks - would maintain that good feeling around Huish Park and even boost a club and its supporters riding the crest of a wave.

Waiting until the summer will only create extra work during the closed season as Yeovil aim to keep a manager whose stock could have risen even further by then. Acting now will fend off other interested parties lurking in the background.

If (and I re-iterate, that's a big if) Johnson was to depart he would be likely to take at least assistant Terry Skiverton and technical coach Darren Way with him.

As when the boss was in South Somerset the first time around, Skiverton and Way are Johnson's two main men and are showing that same successful spark by his side on the touch line and on the training ground.

Contract doubts do not end with Johnson and his management team - two of the creative forces behind their rise could also depart for nothing at the start of June.

Widemen Sam Foley and Kevin Dawson are technically only Yeovil Town players for a few more months after being handed short-term deals because of their lack of Football League experience.

It would be a massive surprise if either player would be against extended stays but Yeovil have an increasingly short window to dictate proceedings before rival clubs start tempting the duo with other offers.

Both Foley and Dawson have proved key cogs in the Yeovil machine, both will clearly have caught the eye elsewhere, particularly considering one came from non-League and the other the League of Ireland.

The Glovers are on course to write another incredible chapter in their 118-year history and action sooner rather than later can ensure the fairytale does not have an unhappy ending.