Forest Green Rovers fell to a disappointing 3-2 defeat to Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park on Saturday. Late goals from Elliott Whitehouse and Scott Wagstaff weren’t enough as the Gloucestershire side missed the chance to go second in League Two.
Here are five things we learned from the game:
Slow starters
Only Grimsby and Stevenage have conceded more goals in the first 15 minutes of games than Forest Green this season. Paul Lewis’ 12th minute goal was a bitter blow for Mark Cooper’s side, especially considering that Odin Bailey had missed a golden chance to put Forest Green 1-0 ahead just minutes before. Rovers started slowly in the second-half too, with James Vaughan tapping home in the 46th minute to give the hosts a two-goal cushion. Forest Green simply gave themselves too much to do to get back into the game.
So nearly an epic comeback
When Forest Green wing-back Scott Wagstaff scored to make it 3-2 in the 93rd minute, a comeback looked improbable with just 90 seconds of stoppage-time remaining. However, Rovers had two golden opportunities to bag the equaliser. First Jake Young miskicked the ball from about eight yards, before Wagstaff nearly doubled his account, but his header went wide of Scott Davies’ post. In League Two, only Oldham have scored more goals in the final 15 minutes of games than Forest Green, but Rovers couldn’t quite grab another last gasp goal here.
Subs make a claim to start
Both of Forest Green’s goals came from substitutes in Elliott Whitehouse and Wagstaff. Cooper said post-match that Whitehouse had “played his way” back into his first team plans and he praised Wagstaff’s quality on the ball. Jamille Matt was also brought on at half-time in an attacking change for Dan Sweeney, and the striker almost made an immediate impact, hitting the crossbar within 10 minutes of coming on, The substitutes nearly turned the game on its head, and all three could be rewarded with starts at Leyton Orient on Saturday.
The table is tight
Forest Green travel to East London on Saturday to face Leyton Orient. If they win, they could go joint top and if they lose Orient will leapfrog them and they could be seventh by 5pm on Saturday evening. This emphasises just how bizarre League Two is this season. The table is very tight and almost every team has played a different number of games to the other. Tranmere have had an underwhelming season, but if they win their game in hand, they will go to within three points of Forest Green. A couple of results can completely change the complexion of the table.
Out of form
Forest Green haven’t won a game for over a month. Since beating fellow promotion-chasers Carlisle on December 19, Rovers have been winless against Exeter, Crawley, Port Vale and Tranmere. This is officially a blip of form, yet Cooper’s side still remain just one point off the automatic promotion places. However, teams behind Forest Green are closing in on them and they will need to start improving their results if they are to avoid a slide down the table. The next two games against Leyton Orient and local rivals Cheltenham represent a very tough challenge.
