Forest Green Rovers kept their Football League status intact after a goalless draw with Yeovil Town on Tuesday night.
The Gloucestershire side now sit seven points clear of the relegation zone with just two games to go meaning the fans at the New Lawn will be watching League Two football for another season. Mark Cooper’s men held out for a draw at Huish Park and the boss is insistent on an improvement in the next campaign.
“We’re not celebrating the fact that we’ve stayed up but we’re relieved and happy that we can have another go of it next year.
“The game descended into a little bit of abjectness and the two teams knew what was at stake. So the game was fought out in the middle of the pitch.”
In Forest Green’s first goalless encounter of the season, the travelling fans and coaching staff burst with relief at the final whistle. Especially after a minimum of ten minutes in stoppage time was announced.
In an interview with Gloucestershire Live, the club’s chairman, Dale Vince, was pleased with the effort to stay in the league and has very ambitious plans for the future.
“I am chuffed for everyone and it feels great to be safe because it was a stressful evening at Yeovil, especially with 10 minutes of added time.
“But we got what we needed and now we carry on planning for next season.
“We still think we are capable of getting out of this division and into League One next year, why not?
“We are heading for the Championship and we have learned a lot during our first year in the Football League.”
Rovers have two games left until the end of the season and will be looking to send the fans away for the summer full of optimism. First they go away to Luton Town and then they’ll be a chance to celebrate survival at the New Lawn against Grimsby Town a week later.
This result will prove to be crucial for the club in years to come and it’s pretty clear that everyone is heading in the same direction. Vince is already looking at a new recruitment model and that’s a positive start to their planning ahead of next season.
