It was the World Cup which, in a roundabout way, brought Bristol City boss Gary Johnson to the West Country and now he wants to help bring the most prestigious tournament in the world here too.

Now is the time for action if Bristol is to secure the 2018 World Cup football which it so richly deserves, says Johnson, who has added his backing and experience to the city's bid to become a host venue less than 10 years from now.

And he believes the presence of the competition in 2018 would help return the region to the top table of English football.

Johnson came to Bristol via London, Latvia and Yeovil and it was his childhood recollections of the region which led him to take the hot seat at Ashton Gate after a brush with the World Cup in the Baltics.

When Johnson was a youngster in the capital, Bristol City were in the First Division, then the top tier of English football and cross-town rivals Bristol Rovers were also flying high, just one tier below.

Bristol was a known force in the football fraternity, compared with more recent years, and it was the strength of this memory that caused Johnson to jump at the chance of managing the Robins in 2005.

His formative posts with Cambridge, Kettering and the Watford Academy groomed him for management but his first big break came not in this country but as manager of the Latvian national team in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, ensuring an intrinsic attachment to the world's biggest sporting event.

That was, naturally, his proudest World Cup memory, although his first one is not to be sniffed at.

He said: "I was 10. England won it. That was probably the first time I could sit still for a game and properly take it in. It was incredible."

From adoring young fan to leading Latvia against San Marino, Belgium, Scotland and Croatia, Johnson now counts former manager Scotland boss Craig Brown among his many friends in the football world and in 2000 had a hand in Latvian captain Vitalijs Astafjevs' move to Bristol Rovers.

Brown heaped praise on Latvia's performance, after Neil McCann saved his blushes with a last-minute winner.

"Scots survive roasting in Riga", reported BBC Scotland and the match alerted UK clubs and Yeovil Town in particular to, in Johnson's own words, "the little Londoner in charge of Latvia".

"Obviously, we didn't make the finals but it was a fantastic experience," Johnson told the Evening Post. "The World Cup brings so many people together through the common denominator of football."

And the West Country is a fitting location for a host city in 2018 or 2022 if England win their bid, in his expert opinion.

"It's a perfect area," he said. "The West Country is now a big football area again. City and Rovers have gained promotions. And what it can do for the reputation of an area, not just in World Cup year, is immense.

"With all due respect, Bristol was a little in the doldrums the last few years and foreign players were few and far between.

"I grew up with Bristol City being one of the biggest clubs in the country so when they called me to be their manager there was no hesitation.

"Younger people today haven't had that. But it is changing. And the World Cup would add to that and help attract better players to both clubs.

"Some people might think it's too far away to be worried about at the moment but this is the time to put energy into it."

The Londoner journeyed to Japan in 2002, and witnessed a remarkable 17 matches at France 1998 along with 10 other associated games.

"It was magical," he reminisced. "I was helping someone involved in the organisation of it, and to then be involved in qualification for the next one, Korea and Japan 2002 with Latvia, was quite something.

"For the fans it is a carnival and so much goes on. The integration of the fans is incredible and everyone is better for the experience."

Both City and Rovers have plans in place for new stadia. City's proposed new ground in Ashton Vale could host World Cup games if approved by Bristol City Council's planning department in October, and Rover's revamped Memorial Stadium could enjoy even more action, hosting training sessions for the visiting teams.

"The chairman (Bristol City chairman Steve Lansdown) has got this ambition, not just for the football but for the community in Bristol, and one man's vision sometimes is needed to drive things through and make them happen. He is very passionate about football and Bristol."

To register your support for the World Cup in Bristol, go to thisisbristol.co.uk/worldcup.