The Rovers make one of their shorter trips of the season to MK Dons tomorrow, on the back of a 4-2 win over National League North opposition, Scarborough Athletic.
Their boss David Horseman has suggested that the win over Scarborough was more important than it looks on paper, saying “it is a good lift, it was just important to be really professional” ahead of a trip to MK Dons.
“I think we made quite a lot of changes to what would probably be considered the strongest line-up and the boys got the job done (at Scarborough),” Horseman said.
“Everybody is happy and for a long time, this club have not won enough games, so to go on that astro-turf in quite a hostile atmosphere and to win was good for everyone.”
Ahead of the trip to Stadium MK, the Rovers boss made it clear that “It is a really impressive stadium, but sometimes it can feel a bit lacking in atmosphere, just because of the size of it and obviously the attendance is not the biggest for such a huge stadium and an amazing facility.
“We have to be really together; we have to be compact on the weekend. If we start to get spread out we are going to find it tough because individually they have got some really talented players in the forward line and then stay in the game for as long as we can.”
The Dons have not lost in their last five league games, with their last loss coming in a 1-0 defeat against Accrington Stanley in October.
Meanwhile, Forest Green have not won an away game in the league since September, which came against Sutton United.
Forest Green have been slightly blessed this week with the news of; Kyle McAllister, Matty Stevens and Callum Morton, all returning from injury.
On the options available, Horseman said “It is probably the first time since I have been here, so it is really pleasing and it would be lovely to be able to have a difficult conversation with a player playing well and still not start them. That would be a really nice place for me to be in because the team has pretty much picked itself since the day we came in and every time we have got close, we have lost a couple.”
“I think we made quite a lot of changes to what would probably be considered the strongest line-up and the boys got the job done. Everybody is happy and for a long time, this club have not won enough games, so to go on that astro-turf and quite a hostile atmosphere and to win was good for everyone.”
However, the Rovers boss said “(Fankaty) Dabo has got probably a slight groin strain, nothing too serious. We just need to check on that one, but everybody else was fine.”
The Rovers have played MK Dons five times in all competitions over the years, but have actually never won a game against their Buckinghamshire counterparts. The most that Forest Green have ever gotten out of a game against MK Dons was a 1-1 draw back in September 2019.
MK Dons did the league double over Forest Green last season with 1-0 and 2-1 wins, despite also being relegated from League One along with the Gloucestershire-based side. Even if Forest Green were to win against MK Dons tomorrow, it would not be enough to lift them out of the League Two drop zone, considering they are five points behind Colchester in 22nd place.
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