Every managerial/head coach appointment is huge but this one seems the biggest ever.
The steamroller seems to have stalled. Chairman Dale Vince has decided to go with Rob Edwards, a very surprising choice but the best of luck to him. It may well have been a different story had Jimmy Ball won promotion via the play-offs but it wasn’t meant to be. In the end, the club’s dream of League One football didn’t happen and there’s an irony as to how they were denied.
Like father like son as the saying goes. The more ‘mature’ Forest Green Rovers may remember a striker we had in my early days who went by the nickname of ‘Jasper’ who was serving in the Army when we signed him. Like a few of the lads who played for us at Forest Green, Jasper went on to be the father of a son who achieved every young boy’s dream. To be a professional footballer.
The most famous is of course the Aston Villa and England center-back, Tyrone Mings. Tyrone’s dad is Adie Mings who had a spell at Forest Green when I was manager and also played in the Conference South at Weston when I was manager there. Tyrone often used to come to home games at Weston and my wife, Carolyn used to play Mrs Doubtfire to him and try and look after him during the games. I emphasise try because she frequently referred to him as a ‘handful.’ I thought she was exaggerating but I guess Zlatan Ibrahimovic would bear witness to her assessment!
Dave ‘Boris’ Mehew has two boys who both play.. Olly had a spell at Forest Green a few years back and his younger brother Tom is looking to build on his reputation at Bristol Rovers. It would be nice to see Tom breakthrough.
Mike Kilgour’s son Alfie had four spells on loan before finally breaking through to the Bristol Rovers first team. He’s very much a part of the spine and I would imagine that he will be seen at the New Lawn next season when the Gas visit. Alfie has made nearly 100 first-team appearances despite having only just celebrated his 23rd birthday.
But none of those is the son that came back to Forest Green on Sunday and left The New Lawn faithful’s dreams in tatters. Jasper’s real first name was Dave but it’s the surname that is echoing around the New Lawn this week. It’s Maynard. Yep, Nicky Maynard is the son of a former Forest Green player and scored the goal that broke the heart of a son of a World Cup winner. Jimmy Greaves had an expression that sums that all up!
In a regular column, iconic former Forest Green manager Frank Gregan has teamed up with Stroud Times.
Now living in Spain and a published author, the former sergeant major joined Rovers in 1994 – leading his side to back-to-back promotions and Wembley final. Frank transformed the club from non-league minnows, charting the way for what they have gone onto achieve under the late Trevor Horsley’s successor Dale Vince.
Follow Frank on Twitter: @Greegers
