Forest Green boss Robbie Savage believes his side is in rude health going into Wednesday’s play-off quarter-final tie at Boreham Wood.
Rovers finished the regular season in style, thrashing already relegated Morecambe 5–0.
First-half goals from Jili Buyabu and Kyle McAllister set the tone, before substitute Ricardo Rees struck twice after the interval. Fellow substitute Gabe Kircough also scored, sealing an emphatic win against a Morecambe side who have now suffered three successive relegations.
A confident Savage said: “Whatever happens on Wednesday, we go into it full of belief and excitement. The winners head to Carlisle United, and we’re ready to give it a real go—just two games from Wembley Stadium.
“Let’s enjoy the moment. If we win at Boreham Wood, brilliant—but if not, we hold our heads high, proud to wear the badge, and come back stronger next season. “We’re in good form, and with an extra day’s rest, we’ll be ready. For us, finishing seventh on 81 points is a fantastic achievement.”
Savage added: “Congratulations to Boreham Wood on finishing fourth, and to both York City and Rochdale—with York clinching the title at the death in incredible, emotional scenes.”
Rovers opened in explosive fashion. Sean Etaluku picked out Tom Knowles, who induced a smart gloved response from Myles Boney. Rovers’ pressure told. Sheffield United loanee Buyabu struck a 13th minute opener – exchanging passes with Jayden Clarke to score via a deflection. The Shrimpers’ fired a warning shot. In their first meaningful attack, Paul Lewis forced Fiachra Pagel parry his stinger on 16 minutes after Gwion Edwards opened Savage’s side up.
Clarke’s tumble in the box under the challenge of Raheem Conte afforded McAllister the opportunity to fizz home his 19th goal of the season from the penalty spot on 24 minutes.
Only the palm of Boney stopped Buyabu banking his second from the edge of the box. In first-half stoppage-time, Pagel spilled a Ben Tollitt thunderbolt, but was spared any blushes as Jordan Moore-Taylor won out in the ensuing melee.
Kircough took four minutes to register his impact from the bench – rising highest to nod in Clarke’s cross to make it 3-0 on 57 minutes.
The New Lawn erupted to its feet on the hour as club legend Christian Doidge was introduced for his final home appearance with the club
Substitute Rees made it 4-0 on 78 minutes – nodding home from a Tre Pemberton cross. Rees grabbed his second and Rovers’ fifth on 83 minutes – finishing with aplomb after Boney parried Knowles’s fizzer.
In a season of frustration, Shrimpers’ boss Jim Bentley, who returned to the club in February, but will now step down to take on a role in the club’s development, said: “We’re back to that regional football league in the National League North. And, you know, I’ve managed that, I don’t think for one minute it’s going to be any stroll in the park, we’ll be there to be shot at, so we need to make sure that we get the right manager, a right squad ready that are going to represent the club better than what’s been done.”
Savage highlighted the quality, intensity, and attacking intent shown by his team in what he described as a standout display.
Savage said: “I thought the movement, the creativity, the dynamism, the intensity we played at. Credit to Jim (Bentley) and his team. It was a difficult situation being relegated. Credit to 127 fans. The management team, you know, they were so unfortunate not to stay up because they had the right goal under Jim. So I want to pay credit to Morecambe. I’m sure they’ll bounce back from the National League North. But when we play like that, we are unstoppable.”
Brimming with confidence, Savage believes his squad is capable of even more as the season reaches its decisive stage.
“I don’t care who we play. You know, that movement, I thought there were some unbelievable performances. if we’d have had Ricardo (Rees) all season, Sean (Etaluku) all season, we’ve had injuries, we’ve had injuries to key players at key times, but we’ve never gone on about it because we know we’ve got a squad that’s capable of beating anybody on our day. Today was our day and it could have been more and we were brilliant.
Credit Pag’s (Fiachra Pagel) clean sheet on his league debut, brilliant for him. Jordy (Jordan Moore- Taylor) was a rock at the back, winning all those headers. If we’d had a fit Jordy all season. But again, we’ve been a brilliant season, delighted. To send the fans away with five goals, our biggest win of the season. Beautiful day, pitch amazing. What a club, great people. And I’m proud. I’m proud to be the manager of this football club. And whatever happens in the playoffs now, we’ve shown this season how good we can be. Start of the season, we had a dip, we’ve come back, good form. But wow, some of them. But Kyle McAllister, what a player. best player in the league, in my opinion.”
Savage also praised the impact of striker D’Mani Mellor, but with Rees making an impact off the bench, he has a selection headache to mull over: “I thought D’Mani in the first half, he didn’t get a goal, but his movement and the way he stretches the opposition to allow the space for our three, you know, our three tens, if you want to call them, I know one plays left, one plays right, you know, 7, 11 or 10, we call it, was magnificent. He’s so unselfish, D’Mani, in the way he plays. But I’ve got problems now for Wednesday. Boreham Wood, congratulations to them, finishing fourth. Congratulations to York and Rochdale, both of them, but they’ve been incredible. York have won the league in the last 113th minute, whatever it was, 103rd minute. Incredible scenes there.
“The emotion of this league to finish in 7 and 81 points is incredible. But I want to pay credit to my team. You know, the bravery we’ve done to change everything has been immense. And that couldn’t happen without Dale Vince. Dale, for this football club, is the football club, but he doesn’t like to take credit for his support and the way he backs his managers, he’s quite remarkable.”
Savage reflected on the season as a whole, praising the club’s progress and identity: “We’ve done more than all right, we’ve done unbelievable this season. And listen, Whatever happens now on Wednesday, we know it’s going to be a real tough game against a very good Boreham Wood side, whoe rested most of their players today, so we know it’s going to be difficult. But we’ll go there with a belief that we’ve got a great 18, we’ve got a great 20, great 22, so we’re looking forward to it.
“We’ve got an extra day’s rest now. Players will be refreshed. We’ve got, you know, everybody coming in. and we’re going to be all positive together and we’re going to have a go. We’re going to fall on our sword, we’re going to be creative. We know it’s a tough game. We know that. And then if the winners go to Carlisle, which is a very, very tough game, and then the winners go to Wembley. Two games from Wembley. Let’s enjoy it. Whatever the result, we’ve had an unbelievable season. We’ve created a culture which is brilliant. We’ve reduced the wage budget and we’ve brought entertainment and decreased the age of the squad by a few years. We’re in a brilliant position going forward.”
Savage also paid tribute to striker Christian Doidge, in his final home game for the club: “Credit Doidgey you know, that ovation. He’s a legend of the football club. You know, I think we were all wanted him to score. You know, you never know, he might score in the play-offs, but you know, his last home game. Credit to himself, to his family, he had his baby with him, but what a great day for us. But whatever happens, we have positivity, whatever the outcome of Wednesday, if we win, brilliant. And if we get beat, which I don’t want to think about, you know, we hold our heads up, we’re proud to wear that badge and we go again next season, but we’re in good form.”
Savage, who joined the club last summer, believes he has transformed the team’s identity and style of play: “Well, you want to see the way I play. You know, I don’t want to go sideways and backwards. I love attacking dynamic. You know, football will make mistakes, will make errors because they’re young players. But what’s that, 82 goals, 13 more than last year, 23 wins, one more than last year? Yes, we haven’t got as many points. I credit the team last year, finishing 3rd on 83, we finished 7th on 81. We’re the star of football, the entertainment value is what the owner wanted and that’s what he’s got. We go into Wednesday, full of confidence, full of energy. Listen, what a football club and I’m delighted whatever happens.”
Forest Green: ( 4-2-3-1): Pagel 7; Pemberton 7, Mendy 8, Moore-Taylor 7 (Kircough 53, 7), Buyabu 8 (Kengni 65, 7 ); Campbell 7, Clarke 7; Etaluku 7 (Haughton 53, 7), McAllister 8 (Rees 65, 8 ), Knowles 7; Mellor 7 (Doidge 60, 6).
Subs not used: Isted, Nwoko.
Morecambe: (5-4-1) : Boney 8; Conte 5 (Jameson 70, 6), Hogan 6, Fogarty 6, Akindileni 6, Edwards 8; Nolan 6 (Fairclough 61, 6 ), Song’o 6 (Cain 61, 6), Lewis 7, Toilitt 6 ( Campbell 81); Wright 6 (Ogwuru 61, 6).
Subs not used: Scales, Popov
Full-time: Forest Green 5 (Buyabu 13, McAllister 23, pen, Kircough 56, Rees 78, 83) Morecambe 0
Half time: Forest Green 2 Morecambe 0
Referee: Matthew Russell
Star man: Jili Buyabu
Attendance: 2,482
Rating: 4 /5
Match statistics
FGR/ MORECAMBE
Shots on target: 14 / 4
Shots off target: 6 / 1
Corners: 6 / 2
Offside: 1 / 0
Fouls: 9 / 5
Yellow cards: 0 / 0
Red cards: 0/0
