Forest Green Rovers boss Robbie Savage has assured fans that his side have their “positivity” back ahead of the first of eight cup finals in the push for play-offs.
Forest Green Rovers will host Wealdstone at The New Lawn this weekend, hoping to bounce back after last weekend’s defeat on the road to Southend, slightly damaging their hopes of finishing the season in a play-off position.
This is the third time the two sides have met this season, with the reverse fixture and a meeting in the FA Trophy being the other two. Both results haven’t quite gone to plan for Rovers, with the league tie ending as a 1-1 draw and losing 3-0 at home in the cup.
Talking about what needs to change to finally get that win, Savage said: “It’s about getting that positivity back into it. When you look at the season on the whole, we’ve been magnificent at times, but now we’re in a situation where there’s a bit of anxiety.
“A lot of this group haven’t been in this situation before, in terms of having pressure and in terms of playing for three points, so making sure that the group know how important three points are is so important.
“When you’re in a profession that you love, make sure every single time you train and play, you show that desire, because football careers can end very, very quickly.”
As for team news, centre-back Jordan Moore-Taylor, who was nearing a return after being out injured since November, has picked up another setback.
“He’s injured again. He’d done all his work for three months, and then he came off on training on Tuesday with a felt hamstring.”
Savage also offered updates on Sean Etaluku, who has only appeared once since signing from Macclesfield in the summer, and goalkeeper Luke McNicholas, who has kept seven clean sheets in 16 National League games since joining from Wrexham.
“Sean Etaluku will be back next month. Luke McNicholas is out for the season, picked up another injury, which is disappointing, but we’ve got a big enough squad, as everybody will tell you, to see out the season.”
Savage didn’t give much away as to whether the team will stay the same following last weekend’s disappointment, but was keen to imply that there will be differences from the last time he faced Wealdstone.
“I’ve looked at the personnel that played Wealdstone last time. The team will be different from the last time for various situations.
“Will there be a little change in shape to combat what they did, but not going away from what we are? Again, the solutions we’ll try and find to get a result will be evident on the weekend.”
Manager Robbie Savage disappointed after defeat to Southend United.#WeAreFGR💚
— Forest Green Rovers (@FGRFC_Official) March 14, 2026
Forest Green are currently sat in sixth, firmly in the play-off positions thanks to a six point gap. Southend make up the fifth and final play-off spot, with two points more than Halifax in eight.
Talking about whether or not his side are feeling the pressure, Savage had this to say.
“We’ve won games by playing, at times, some of the best football we’ve seen at The New Lawn, but what we haven’t done, is win a scrappy game. Have we got that in us? We’ll see with these games.”
With the gaps between teams at the top end of the National League getting thinner and thinner as the season continues, goal difference could play its part.
As his team have a comfortable margin, due in part to the 62 goals they have scored so far, Savage feels confident about it helping him rather than letting him down.
“I think Halifax have got a +4 goal difference, I think we’ve got +17”, he offered. “That’s like an extra point.”
Saturday’s opponents have recently seen a change in manager, with ex-QPR boss Gary Waddock coming in to replace the dismissed Sam Cox.
“What I will say is that since the change, they’ve played some great football, and they’re in the semi-final of the trophy.
“Gary Waddock, he’s got great experience. They’re third in the form guide, but you can only judge a change with the outcome at the end of the season.”
Kick-off on Saturday is at 3pm, and Savage will surely be eager to be back on the touchline at The New Lawn after his recent suspension.
