Forest Green boss Robbie Savage watched the game from the confines of the directors’ box as his team turned on the style, firing a warning to their play-off rivals.
Serving a two-game touchline ban, Savage took his place alongside owner Dale Vince and sporting director Mark Bowen to watch his side dismantle Aldershot Town. First-half strikes from Tate Campbell and Tom Knowles gave Rovers the advantage before Aldershot pulled a goal back through Charlie Warren following an improved spell of pressure.
An exuberant Savage said: “I think Dale’s (Vince) has got a few bumps. I jumped on him after what should have been a third goal and I don’t think he’s had that before. I get on with him – he’s a good man and he cares. As I’ve said all along, he’s given me a massive opportunity and I think he can see what we’re doing – the season’s not over, but we’ve got a chance.”
Savage admitted it was hard not to be in the technical area, but he heaped praise on his backroom staff: “It was difficult there watching, but I thought my management team did exceptionally well – “John (McMahon), Dan (Watson), Josh (Bowen), all the staff. “Without me screaming on the sidelines. Two games against Aldershot I’ve been in the stand — two games we’ve won – I think my management team are trying to tell me something.”
With a season-ending injury to Ricardo Rees, Rovers’ boss Savage swooped on his old club Macclesfield for the fifth time this season by ushering in D’Mani Mellor – his 28th signing of the season. The former Silkmen was a standout performer on his debut, pleasing Savage from start to finish: “ I thought he was outstanding. I know his qualities and his capabilities. He should have been playing at a higher level before he came to Macclesfield.
“His movement, his link-up play, his touch — that little phase in the second half when the ball comes to him, controls it, spins in behind and puts a ball across. He knows he should have got the third — three-nil.
“I knew Damani from watching him in the Manchester United youth team. When he was free at Macclesfield I brought him in. He was magnificent for me and scored 21 goals as a 10. He can play left or right but he wants to play as a 9. It’s a great acquisition for the football club.”
The former Silkmen made a quickfire impression – seeing his early strike deflected wide on 14 minutes. Sixty seconds later Rovers nosed ahead – Campbell firing home inside the box. Buyabu smashed the ball high, wide and not very handsome after a free-flowing move involving the influential Campbell, Kyle McAllister and Chibby Nwoko. Shots’ stopper Coniah Boyce-Clarke did well to claw away a McAllister swinger as Rovers chased a game over third.
Rovers made it two on 28 minutes. McAllister found Nwoko, who drove into the box to feed Knowles who smashed the ball into the back of the net for his third goal in as many games. Aldershot posted their first shot in anger on 30 minutes – James Henry fizzing into the gloves of Harry Isted.
The Shots’ response after the break was immediate: substitute Brodie Peart burst through and rounded Isted, only to hit the post from a tight angle.
Rovers responded. Knowles was a whisker from his second, stretching for the ball from Mellor’s exquisite pass. At the other end, Peart was close to finding the net for the Shots, skewing wide from the edge of the box. Isted chested a Warren howitzer wide as the Shots remained in the game. Aldershot’s tails were up. Warren found his range on 66 minutes – finishing with aplomb.
McAllister thought he had wrapped things up for Rovers with four minutes to go but an inexplicable offside flag muted his and Savage’s celebrations.
““The disappointing thing is that in recent weeks we’ve been on the end of some really poor decisions,” Savage bemoaned.
“The tackle on Kyle — there’s been a few. We got away with one against Boreham Wood when the handball was outside the box.
“But the third goal when it was 2-1 with two minutes to go — the keeper kicks the ball, nobody’s offside, their centre-half flicks it on, an intentional play of the ball. It flicks on to Kyle who’s run and scored and it’s been ruled out for offside.
“I’ve spoken to the officials. When they see it they’ll be disappointed. They have to get those right
“You know there’s the nervous three or four minutes. But the defenders defended really well.
“You have to get those decisions right. We’ve been on the end of some poor ones.”
Despite their relatively small status, Rovers continue to capture the social media microscope, Savage said: “The attention on our club this season has been incredible—I’ve never seen so many eyes on us, both on social media and across the football community. Every signing seems to spark commentary from all corners, highlighting the interest in the squad we are building.
“Currently, we have 27 or 28 players, including several on loan. Six players have joined on loan while six have returned to their parent clubs. Looking ahead, around 17 to 19 of our current players will remain for next season, allowing us to already envisage a starting team for the future.
“We are carefully evaluating players with contract options and making decisions about the loans that will conclude. Right now, this season is about building and transitioning—laying the foundations for the team we aim to be in the next phase.”
Shots boss John Coleman was left perplexed by his side’s first half showing: “There’s a meme going around about all managers saying, ‘Architects of your own downfall.’ Well that added another one in, because we really have been our own downfall. We kept playing stupid football in the first half – sideways passes in our own box, giving people the wrong angles, letting them press us. We knew they’d play a high press, we practiced how to play through it and over it, but we didn’t. We kept doing the same thing and got the same result: giving them possession in our final third. They capitalised and scored two scrappy goals, both of which could have been cleared.”
Listen to Robbie Savage’s unabridged post-match press conference
Listen to John Coleman’s unabridged post-match press conference
Forest Green 2 (Campbell 15, Knowles 28) Aldershot 1 (Warren 66)
Forest Green: ( 4-2-3-1) Isted 7; Ahmed 7 (Pemberton 72, 7), Mingi 8 (Bunker 59, 6), Kanu 7, Buyabu 7 (Kengni 59, 6); Mendy 7, Campbell 8; McAllister 7; Nwoko 7 (Haughton 80), Knowles 7 (Clarke 72, 7); Mellor 8
Subs not used: Pagel, Doidge.
Aldershot Town: ( 4-2-3-1) : Boyce-Clarke 7; Hill 6, Nightingale 7, Grogan 6, Sheckleford 6 (Penney 46,); Hargreaves 7, Meerholz 6 (Frost 81); Warren 7, Henry 6 (Peart 46, 8 ) , Barrett 6 (Thomas 46, 7); Stewart 6 (Nelson 76, 7).
Subs not used: Nash, Anderson.
Half time: Forest Green 2 Aldershot Town 0
Referee: Declan Brown
Star man: ( Tate Campbell – Forest Green, midfielder)
Attendance: 2,281
Rating: 4 /5
Match statistics
FGR/ ALDERSHOT TOWN
Shots on target: 4 / 7
Shots off target: 6 / 2
Corners: 5 / 5
Offside: 3 / 4
Fouls: 12 / 11
Yellow cards: 3 / 4
Red cards: 0/0
