Robbie Savage’s exuberance earned him a booking as his Forest Green Rovers side snatched a dramatic last-gasp point against Scunthorpe United at The New Lawn.
Liverpool loanee James Balagizi struck in the eighth minute of added time to cancel out Declan Howe’s second-minute opener, ensuring both teams extended their unbeaten starts to the season. Savage’s celebrations of relief on the touchline drew a yellow card, underlining the intensity of the contest.
Savage praised his team’s persistence but urged greater consistency: “We kept going and created numerous chances in that second half. At half-time I said that’s not us — we were making the wrong decisions. In the second half when I made the changes we dominated. Balagizi showed great desire but we need to show that desire from the first minute to the 97th.
“We’re unbeaten, that’s the big positive. Our squad came to the fore today as they all made an impact. I’m happy with that point. I got a yellow card for running down the touchline but that’s emotion. The biggest thing is we kept going — but we have to be more clinical.”
Rovers endured a sluggish opening and fell behind when Howe nodded in from an Oliver Ewing corner — the first goal conceded at home by Savage’s men this season. Rory Watson in the Scunthorpe goal denied Nick Haughton with a superb save, before thwarting Kyle McAllister and tipping away Abraham Kanu’s header as the hosts rallied before half-time.
Frustrated with his side’s powder-puff first-half display, Savage introduced forwards Harry Cardwell and Yahya Bamba at the break. The changes injected energy, with Cardwell denied penalty appeals after tangling with Watson before going close from a Laurent Mendy cross.
At the other end, Luke McNicholas twice kept Rovers in the game, saving from Carlton Ubaezuonu and Daniel Whitehall, as the clash swung from end to end. Watson continued to frustrate Forest Green with saves from Bamba, Jayden Clarke and McAllister, appearing to secure victory for the Iron.
But deep into stoppage time, Savage sent McNicholas forward for a free-kick, and Balagizi bundled the ball home through a crowded penalty area to snatch a deserved point.
Scunthorpe boss Andy Butler praised his side despite the late heartbreak: “The players were excellent today, barring probably 30 seconds. I thought we should have come away with a win and should have been two or three up — that’s taking nothing away from Forest Green, they’re an incredible side, but that shows just how far we have come against the so-called big clubs in this division and almost come away with the most perfect away performance.”
Butler added: “We just need to be more clinical in the dying embers of a game.”
Forest Green Rovers 1 (Balagizi 97)
Scunthorpe United 1 (Howe 2, )
Team line-ups:
Forest Green (4-2-3-1): McNicholas 7; Pemberton 6 (Bamba 46), Kanu 6 (Walker 72, 6), Inniss 7, Kengni 5 (Cardwell 46, 6 ); Mendy 6; Whitwell 7; McAllister 6, Knowles 6, Haughton 6 (Clarke 58, ); Mitchell 6 (Balagizi 80, 7).
Subs not used: Pagel, Moore, Walker
Scunthorpe (4-3-3): Watson 8; Scales 7, Evans 7, Boyce 7, Denton 7, Ewing 8, Beestin 7 (Eze 77, 7), Rowley 7; Roberts 7, Whitehall 7 (Beck 72,) Howe 7, (Ubaezuon 57, 7 ).
Subs not used: Johnson, Brogan, Dawson ,Chadwick
Half time: Forest Green 0-1 Scunthorpe
Referee: Ross Joyce
Star man: (Rory Watson Scunthorpe United, goalkeeper)
Attendance: 1,963
Rating: 3/5
MATCH STATS
FOREST GREEN V SCUNTHORPE
Shots on target: 10/ 5
Shots off target: 7/ 1
Corners: 3/ 4
Offside:0/1
Fouls: 8/ 10
Yellow cards: 2/2
