Bullish Forest Green owner Dale Vince is confident his side will bounce back from relegation.
Vince insists adept boss Steve Cotterill will turn the tide after Rovers were relegated following Colchester’s 2-0 victory over Grimsby Town, ending the Nailsworth side’s seven-year sojourn in the EFL.
Vince said: “Obviously everyone at the club is disappointed with the outcome of this season, which last night’s results have crystallised. Our best efforts have not been good enough, in recruitment primarily – it’s not a budget issue.
“Relegation is something nobody wants, but it happens in football of course and it’s not the end of the world. It’s a litmus test, against which we can be clear we’ve not been good enough, but we can plan to recover.”
Vince heaped praise on the fans, who have had little to shout about during the last two years: “We’re extremely grateful to our fans for their loyal support through a second difficult season in a row and pledge to move heaven and earth to get back to a better place, in terms of our football and league position.”
In a testing two years, Rovers axed two directors of football, leading Vince to allow Cotterill to head up recruitment next season.
Vince said: “On the upside, we now have in place an excellent manager and player recruitment lead in Steve Cotterill.”
With an eye on next season, Vince revealed Rovers will be able to train away from their current base in Chippenham, moving to the proposed Eco Park Stadium at Junction 13, Eastington.
“We will open new training facilities at J13 in time for next season, these will be by far and away the best facilities FGR has ever had. As a club we’ll probably be in the best position we’ve been in for two seasons – since we won League 2.”
