A 3-0 defeat to Grimsby Town at home confirmed Forest Green Rovers 21st place finish in the Sky Bet League Two. Having achieved promotion in the 2016/17 season, can they consider their season a success?
Much like their local rivals Cheltenham Town, Forest Green Rovers also had a productive summer transfer window bringing in a total of 15 players (10 permanent and 5 on loan) to help bolster their squad in their first season in the Football League.
Manager Mark Cooper used his knowledge of the area to bring in players who would be able to move in search of regular first-team football such as the likes of former Aston Villa midfielder Isaiah Osbourne from Walsall, who made 36 league appearances for Rovers last season.
However, FGR had to let go of influential midfielder Liam Noble who signed a pre-contract agreement with league rivals Notts County and young prospect Ethan Pinnock was allowed to further his career with a move up to the Championship with Barnsley FC.
Goalkeeper Bradley Collins was brought in on loan from Chelsea youth teams to help sure out their defence and keep them competitive in the fourth tier of English football for the first time.
The newly-promoted side started off poorly however, clocking up just one win in their first 13 games with a 2-0 victory at home to Yeovil Town in their 3rd game of the season.
Their luck would soon change however, as November rolled around and they would fall into their best run of form for the entire season. 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat throughout the month saw manager Cooper nominated for manager of the month and the club preserve their position in 20th place and out of the relegation zone.
As they began to reach the Winter months, their season would begin to falter as a string of poor results (6 defeats and 1 draw) would see the Nailsworth-based side hit the bottom of the League Two table. FGR would also have their short FA Cup run ended in December following a second round replay defeat to league rivals Exeter City 2-1 after extra time, having previously beaten Macclesfield 1-0 in the first round and 3-3 draw to Exeter at the New Lawn.
Two wins in January saw Rovers continue to struggle in the bottom two and were given the almost impossible task of keeping hold of top scorer Christian Doidge amid interest from Championship club Cardiff City.
Thankfully, they managed to keep hold of Doidge and the rest of their FGR squad meaning they could now solely focus on fighting for their place in the Sky Bet League Two.
February again was another great run for Rovers as they went on a five-game unbeaten run and managed to achieve a position as high as 19th in the league.
As FGR moved up the league, Doidge’s reputation continued to grow as he managed to notch up 25 goals for the season which matched his rival goalscorer over the road in the Cheltenham’s Mo Eisa.
Rovers’ last win came in April with a 4-1 win over relegation rivals Chesterfield as they continued to fight in their place in the Football League for next season.
However, FGR went on a final three game bad run of form with a draw and two defeats against Yeovil, Luton and Grimsby respectively.
Overall, a respectable season for Forest Green Rovers as they managed to hold their position in the league for next season and will look to develop on their final position of 21st for the season.
They will be looking to the upcoming transfer window to strengthen their side even more to continue to compete in the fourth tier of English football, along with trying to achieve a higher position than rivals Cheltenham Town next season.
