Forest Green’s hierarchy have convened to discuss a striker search following a season-ending injury to marquee signing Ricardo Rees.
Manager Robbie Savage, sporting director Mark Bowen, owner Dale Vince, and vice-chair Asif Rehmanwala met at Ecotricity headquarters yesterday, Thursday to evaluate a number of potential targets capable of guiding the New Lawn side through the play-offs and a potential Wembley push for promotion to League Two.
Rees suffered ligament damage during Rovers’ 2-0 victory at Gateshead last time out, leaving Rovers with just two fully fit strikers in Christian Doidge and Temi Babalola in their arsenal.
Despite this setback, Savage remains measured: “If we go with what we’ve got, I’m really happy. I’ve got a brilliant squad here. Yes, we’re light in forward positions, but you have a squad for a reason. We’d like to bring someone in, and we’ve had a meeting at Ecotricity to take a considered view on how we go forward.
“Whatever the outcome, I’ll be extremely happy because one thing about Dale (Vince) is that he cares about this football club, he backs his managers, and we’re aligned. The first call I got after Saturday’s game was from Dale congratulating me on the win. Regardless of the result, he always reminds me that it’s a journey. He’s never put pressure on me; he’s always been there. I speak to him a lot, and he’s a good person. The same goes for Mark (Bowen). We’ve had e a good discussion and have come to a thoughtful conclusion – not a rushed decision – and I’ll be happy whatever that outcome is.”
Savage didn’t expect to have a new striker in place for Saturday and is considering a number of options up front, including playing Jayden Clarke as a false nine, he added: “As for whether we’ll have someone in for Saturday, probably not. We’ve looked at all the data and one or two players have come to the top, but nothing will happen that quickly. There’s no rush – we’ve got ten games after Saturday’s nine, and possibly three more. Any decision will be considered carefully. If we do bring someone in, it’s not just about signing the player – finances, the agent, and whether the selling club agrees all have to be factored in. So it’s a process, not a panic.”
