Upon arrival at The New Lawn, there was an undeniable energy of expectation around the stadium.
From minute one – Rovers were utterly dominant. We bossed the ball throughout the 90 minutes. We created almost constant overloads through the entirety of the pitch, it felt like we had 13 men at times.
The energy from the bench transcended onto the pitch – every tackle and pass was at the a tempo the Yeovil side could only dream to adhere to.
As the whistle blew for the interval, some FGR fans could be forgiven for feeling frustrated we weren’t at least 2 goals ahead. I was hopeful we’d be able to maintain the same energy for the second 45, as eventually, Yeovil’s resolve would break.
The second half started with FGR regaining the ascendency. We had full control. I looked down to the FGR bench around the 52nd minute and could see Robbie gesturing it was time to turn up the temperature.
“4-1-3-2, now. Lets do it”
Within moments, FGR had a trio of changes. Doidge, Haughton & the remarkably rapid Jili took to the field.
In truth, Rovers never looked back. Wave-after-wave of pressure fell upon the Glovers back line. The intensity of Forest Green only seemed to intensify.
A lot will be made of Jili’s electric pace and dynamism, but it was the quality of his deliveries that had the stadium in awe. There’s crossing a ball, then there’s whipping a ball in with a purpose that is impossible to defend. Within 30 seconds of his entry, his delivery to Doidge nearly opened the scoring.
The opening goal gave the home fans an overwhelming feeling of relief, only bettered by the 2nd goal in the latter stages.
Ordinarily, cultures take months, if not years to create. The feeling around the stadium after the game was something that we’ve not experienced at the club in quite some time.
Forest Green fan Tom Carter hands out the ratings following Rovers’ 2-0 victory over Yeovil Town.
Player Ratings
Luke McNicholas – 7.0 – Due to the nature of the game, Luke didn’t have masses to do. His decision making though, in the moments where he did need to step up, were flawless. I’m delighted to see him capture his first clean sheet in FGR colours.
Tre Pemberton – 8.1 – Tre is coming into his own in the right-back position. He has the legs to cover incredible distance. The way Yeovil set up allowed Tre to step into a more offensive role throughout the game and he took advantage. At times, I felt sorry for Whittle, who was simultaneously trying to cover Tre and McAllister. A lot of credit has to go to Tre for his relentless energy, his decoy overlapping runs allowed Kyle McAllister to have significant time on the ball.
Jordan Moore-Taylor – 8.3 – Last week, I commented that we’ve come to expect dominant performances from the skipper. Today, he was faultless. It shouldn’t be lost on us fans the change of style JMT’s handled, he’s gone from sitting in a low block under Steve Cotterill, to being the first line of attack under Robbie Savage.
Jordan has the nous to recognise when the long diagonals are on or when there’s a simpler line breaking pass. Today, we saw more of the latter. He was authoritative in his defensive actions, a top performance.
Abraham Kanu – 8.2 – There’s a saying which my father frequently referenced to me. If you don’t notice your centre half, he’s having an excellent game. His actions were measured and assured, Abraham was determined but measured in his duels through the afternoon. I mentioned last week that him and JMT will understandably need time for their partnership to thrive – we’re starting to see this.
Neil Kengni – 7.7 – Neil Kengni looked much more assured in his play this afternoon. A continuation of his performance on Wednesday evening. Defensively he was assured – one of my main concerns coming into the game was the pace of the Glovers’ full backs, Kengni and Pemberton handled the threat by being positionally aggressive throughout – It was near impossible for the Town fullbacks to cross their own halfway line.
Laurent Mendy – 9.0 – What more can you ask from Mendy? He was first to everything. To even call it a 50/50 would be facetious – when Mendy’s involved, he’s simply levels ahead of the opposing 6’s. As for his offensive actions, he was constantly available to take the ball in that right hand half space. He was roared on by the coaching staff to drive into the space – and that he did. Charlie Cooper was simply chasing shadows through the afternoon.
Issac Moore – 7.9 – My reports thus far on Isaac have been consistent. He’s positionally very mature and a perfect partner for Mendy in the 6. It’s rare to see a 19 year old hold such discipline at this level – you can really see why Frank Lampard and his staff have such a positive view of him. His substitution was appropriate, due to the shift to a 4-1-3-2, meaning Rovers could rubber stamp their dominance on the Yeovil backline.
Kyle McAllister – 7.7 – Kyle probably falls victim to his own elite standards. His interplay is clearly of a high standard, it allows Jayden Clarke to thrive. The two of them have formed a strong relationship in the embryonic phases of the 25/26 season. As match fitness comes, we’ll see Kyle pick up his usual level of goal contributions – I have absolutely no doubts about that.
Jayden Clarke – 8.1 – The weight of a pass and balance are often overlooked in football. Jayden excels in both these areas. As his confidence grows, you can see why the FGR hierarchy thinks so highly of the 24 year old. His substitution was well timed, as I feel he was slightly tiring and a fresh Knowles was an equally imposing prospect for Mark Cooper’s side.
Yayha Bamba – 7.7 – We saw glimpses of Bamba’s ability throughout the game. I must stress, I think teams sitting in a low block doesn’t allow Bamba to present his more imposing abilities. As games become more transitional, we’ll see more of his electric pace and the carnage he’ll be able to implement on full backs.
Kairo Mitchell – 8.4 – Football’s a satisfying game at times. You can watch a centre forward work incredibly hard, run the channels and engage both centre halves, but nothing beats the feeling when they wrap up the game with a well deserved goal. Last week, we saw Kairo have a great chance saved (0.31 xG* chance, with a 0.68 xGOT** from Kairo) and not get on the scoresheet. This week, he got his reward.
- (*) – Expected Goal based upon the position of the chance
- (**) Expected Goal On Target – based upon the quality of the finish
Subs
Jili Bayabu – 9.2 – Last week, we saw Nick Haughton come on and made an instant impact. The same was true of Jili today. Every time he got the ball, I felt myself starting to involuntarily stand up in anticipation. He got into positions which struck fear through the Glovers back line and backed it up with elite deliveries. I don’t really understand how anyone at this level can contain Jili. An incredible performance, he dragged us over the line & beyond.
Christian Doidge – 7.7 – A fairly quiet entrance from Christian this week, though saying that, he nearly opened the scoring within 30 seconds, after being on the end of one of Jili’s bullet deliveries. The 4-1-3-2 suits Christian and Kairo in equal measure – a formation I think we’ll see more of as the season progresses.
Nick Haughton – 7.9 – As Nick gains match fitness, you can really start to appreciate the technical ability he holds. It’s easy to see a pass when you’re sat 8 rows up in the East Stand, but Nick seems to be able to read my mind. He showed an unselfish angle to his game today, looking more to put his teammates in advantageous positions.
Tom Knowles – 8.0 – The odds of hitting not 1, but 2 long range efforts that hit the post in a matter of weeks, must be astronomical. He picked up where he left off from Wednesday’s performance. He was able to pick up the ball & drive Rovers forward. He occupied several glovers players – his versatility from being able to cover LW, LB & RW within the space of 20 minutes staggered me. He showed real maturity when filling in for the adventurous Jili. Not only that, he won a thumping header at a critical juncture in the game. A great performance again, Tom.
Ryan Inniss – 7.4 – Great to see Ryan back in league action. He instantly provided a pillar of strength – both in presence and mentality for the Rovers defence. I’m intrigued to see how Inniss, JMT and Kanu feature throughout the campaign – all 3 are more than capable of starting in any National League side.
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