If Cody Johnson makes half the impact his namesake Sam has done at Halifax, he'll be remembered for a long time to come.

The 20-year-old followed Town boss Adam Lakeland to The Shay this summer from King's Lynn, where his performances in the National League North earned him rave reviews.

And the all-action midfielder says he is ready to take the next step in his career in tackling the National League.

"100 per cent, I can't wait to get going," he told the Courier.

"It will be a step up but i don't doubt myself that I can do it.

"As a young lad, it's just about keep progressing and keep improving.

"I don't doubt myself that I can do it."

Johnson was on the books at Blackburn from the age of eight, before joining Oldham, where he was released for being too small.

"Then I signed for Stockport and, funnily enough, a couple of months later I had a growth spurt," he recalled.

"I've had a few loans from there and played for the first-team a few times as well."

Johnson had stints at Banbury, Scarborough and Rochdale before working under Lakeland and assistant Sam Walker at King's Lynn last season.

"I was still 17 at the time and I think I ended up playing 18 times for them in the National League North," he said of his spell at Banbury.

"It was massive really, playing men's football at that age, it really helped.

"That summer, I got a really good loan move to Rochdale which got cut short on the first game of the season because of injuries at Stockport.

"So I went back in at Stockport for a little bit, played a few league games and in the Carabao Cup, then I went to King's Lynn last season."

Johnson reckons he has played more than 80 senior games aleady, including his first full, uninterrputed season in senior football at King's Lynn.

"I loved it, I really liked working under the gaffer and Sam, the lads were class and it was something different because I was moving away from home, which I'd never done before," he said.

"I was still 19, so cooking for myself was something different, but I think it's helped me grow up a lot.

"The lads I was living with were older as well, so it was just something different."

Johnson says he took an immediate liking to Lakeland and Walker before going on to thrive under their guidance last season.

"When I went down (to King's Lynn), I clicked with them straight away," he said.

"They're two really good coaches, they'll do anything to win.

"I'm the same, I hate losing, and they have the same (attitude) in them.

"Straight away, I knew I was going to be in good hands.

"They've always put their trust in me, even when I had to go back and miss games to play for Stockport, behind-closed-doors games, I'd come back and I'd go straight into the team.

"I think that trust in me, it helped me develop as a player and it let me express myself.

"With it being my first full season (of first-team football), I was able to play over 40 games for them, so they really helped me in that department.

"And when they got the move (to Halifax), it was a no brainer really."

Johnson says Town's managerial duo have played a big part in his development as a player.

"Positioning wise, they really helped me, so the difference between playing in a one or a two (in midfield)," he said.

"I've always played in a one, a single pivot, so they helped as part of a two.

"If I've had a bad game, which happens, they're always the first to put their arms around me and say 'don't beat yourself up about it because I know your standards are so high, just go and react the next game'.

"As a young lad, that really helped me, to not dwell on what I'd done wrong, but to fix it and work on it.

"They're always there if you want to do anything on the pitch, so if I said to Sam 'how about doing a bit of heading today?' or work on my weaker foot, he's always the first there to do it."

Johnson added: "Because of them and the amount of games I played there, I feel like I've matured physically.

"I've come on physically, my stats and stuff in games, because of them and the work they've done with me.

"I did gym all the time there, and they put the trust in me to build my match fitness and match sharpness."

When asked what the Town fans can expect from an Adam Lakeland team, Johnson said: "The desire to win, they'll run through a brick wall for him.

"But then they also have the freedom to express themselves.

"He's not one to absolutely b****ck you if you try something that you felt was the right thing at the time.

"He might question why you've done it but he just hates losing."

And Town's chances of avoiding defeats this season should only be improved with another Johnson in the side, if his form for King's Lynn is anything to go by.

"I like to read the game, break play up and I like to get on the ball and dictate play," he said.

"Just keep it simple and break lines if I can, but I'll get about the pitch and I'll put a few tackles in, but I like to get on the ball as well."

If Johnson does replicate his form of last season, he may not be rivalling his namesake for club appearances though.

The midfielder says Halifax's track record of developing talent before selling them on did play a part in his decision to join them.

"That was 100 per cent a factor, because I've seen how they've developed young players," he said.

"I know Milli Alli, because he was at Stockport for a bit when I was there, so I've seen how he's gone on, and he looked like he really enjoyed it here.

"I think anyone with the right mindset would want to do something similar to what he's done, as a young lad.

"So it does help that people have done it from Halifax."