Forest Green boss Robbie Savage has been handed a goalkeeping nightmare ahead of the Saturday lunchtime televised trip to Aldershot Town.
Luke McNicholas is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury at Rovers’ training ground this week.
In a testing week, boss Savage, sporting director Mark Bowen and goalkeeping coach Dan Watson have been working around the clock to plug the gap : “Luke (McNicholas) felt his knee a few times, so to protect him we wanted to see if Pags (Fiachra Pagel) could perform in front of a big crowd. Luke went to pick a ball up in training and felt his knee again. He’s had a scan — it doesn’t look great. He’ll be out for a number of weeks.”
Savage blooded Pagel against Luton after a number of eye-catching displays in the National League Cup, but feels he needs to look elsewhere on Saturday: “Pags is young; he’s going to make mistakes. He’s done okay in the game. It was a great experience for him. He’ll be a fantastic goalkeeper, but I’m not sure he’s ready to play consecutive league games yet. We need to try and get an experienced goalkeeper in for the foreseeable future.”
The search is ongoing: “We’ve been looking everywhere to bring in a goalkeeper. It’s a little bit of a worry, but it is what it is. Myself, Mark (Bowen), and Dan (Watson) have been relentless. We’ll keep working tirelessly to get the right player in.”
Rovers injury casualty list has grown with on-loan Liverpool midfielder James Balagizi and new signing Sean Etaluku suffering hamstring issues: “James felt his hamstring, and we’re waiting for the scan results, but it could be a number of weeks as well. Sean felt his hamstring a little bit, but again he’ll be back sooner rather than later to add more competition.”
The drama of the FA Cup tie against Luton Town is still fresh in the memory of players, staff, and supporters alike. Savage’s pride in the team is still palpable this week, saying his squad are: “Boisterous, excited, energised”.
Listen to Robbie Savage’s unabridged pre-match Aldershot press conference, where he discusses, goalkeeping dilemma, Aldershot, Luton, touchline ban, Aidan Dausch impact, Jose Marquez and heartfelt thoughts on passing of Colin Addison and Adrian Riddiford
“If you look at the last three games in halves, five of the six halves we’ve been outstanding. The first half against Luton was difficult, but if you break the games down, our performances have been excellent. The lads have had a great week in training. It’s been a testing week, but the squad has been brilliant.”
Even in defeat, Savage sees evidence that his side can compete at a higher level. “We were so close to knocking out Luton in one of the greatest ever FA Cup comebacks. Five of the six halves in our last three games have been brilliant. My team are magnificent, and if we perform against Aldershot like we have, we’ll have a real opportunity to win.”
He recalls the dramatic 3-0 deficit at 56 minutes with vivid clarity: “Even 3-0 down, I always believed in them. The energy after the first goal gave me confidence, and the lads showed incredible character to get back into the game. That’s the mentality we want to carry forward.”
Training at Rovers is always competitive and high-intensity, a reflection of Savage’s commitment to preparing his squad thoroughly. “Competition with places is so high. Training’s really competitive, really high intensity. Picking an 18-man squad is going to be difficult, but we’ve got a brilliant squad. The players who come in have had an opportunity and done unbelievably well. At times we have to calm them down because the way we train and play is so intense.”
Savage also highlighted his tactical flexibility and praised players who provide varied attacking options. including Coventry City loanee Aidan Dausch, who made a scoring impact off the bench at Luton: “Aidan was unbelievable when he came on against Luton. His footwork’s amazing, he can run the channel, he’s got pace. We now have two viable options in attack, and Dausch answered all my questions. He’s a brilliant player and a great lad. He cares, he’s emotional, and I’m here to help him.”
Other squad members, such as Temi Babalola and Christian Doidge, give Savage additional options: “Temi is our physical presence through the middle for 60 minutes, but Dausch provides a different option. Doidge is another player who can make an impact, and I have decisions to make about the combination I want to see this weekend.”
Looking ahead to the National League clash at Aldershot, Savage sees both a challenge and an opportunity. He said: “The 12:30pm kick-off won’t be different for us. It could be a huge advantage — if we get a positive result, it will take us up the table. Aldershot have a new manager, they’re fighting to get out of the bottom four, and it should be an entertaining game.
“They’ve scored 29 and conceded 36, so there will be goals. We’ve got pace, energy, and the ability to make changes on 55 or 60 minutes. We finish strong, we’re fit and athletic, and we’re in a really good place. If we can perform to our best ability, we have a real opportunity to win.”
Savage will be forced to watch the game from the stands following his yellow card at Luton, but he addressed his touchline ban with characteristic honesty: “It’s no different to me really. As a director of football for three years, I’ve sat in the stands watching the game, and emotion is part of football. Would I change my actions that led to the suspension? No. Celebrating with fans and supporting my team is part of who I am.”
The manager confirmed that he will continue to oversee the team from the director’s box, communicating with Dan Watson via earpiece, ensuring the team remains fully supported during the upcoming match.
“I take full responsibility for understanding the rules. My technical staff and I respect the officials at all times, and no one speaks to the fourth official without my consent. The emotion of the game sometimes gets the better of me, but it comes from a place of passion for the club and our supporters.”
Despite the challenges, Savage remains upbeat about the squad’s potential and readiness: “We’ve got a brilliant squad, and the players who come in have done unbelievably well. We’ve been unlucky at times, but the character and quality of the squad is clear. We go into Aldershot confident and ready to perform.”
