Forest Green 1 Solihull Moors 1
Frustrated Forest Green boss Robbie Savage warned his promotion hopefuls that only a more ruthless edge will keep their title ambitions on track.
The Gloucestershire side missed the chance to go top of the National League tree after they were forced to share a point with a dogged Solihull Moors side.
Despite stretching their unbeaten run to seven games, Savage demanded higher standards from his side. “What an opportunity it was for us today to go top of the league,” he said. “In the first half they created more chances and deservedly were in front, no question about it. Credit to Chris Millington and his team. It was a low block, they hurt us in transition, and the middle of the park was far too open.
Listen to Robbie Savage’s full-match synopsis here
Listen to Solihull boss Chris Millington’s take on his side’s draw at The New Lawn.
“At half-time the message was, ‘listen, let’s be brave and let’s be positive — I’ll give you the freedom.’ And second half we were magnificent, magnificent. But again, we’re not clinical enough or ruthless enough. And if you want to win the league, you have to be that.
“I come out here every week and say the same thing, so what do we need to do now? Do we have to just get someone who will stand in the six-yard box and put the ball in the back of the net?
“I’m getting frustrated now, we can’t keep creating this many chances, we’re playing wonderful football, attacking football, the crowd are loving it, entertainment value is fine, we’re joint top of the league, but inevitably it’s going to cost us.”
Millington’s side led at the break through Alex Whitmore’s goal on the cusp of the interval. However, a monumental second half response from Rovers saw Savage’s side net parity through Nick Haughton, but the Moors showed little Christmas spirit thanks to a dogged rearguard action and resolute defending from James Clarke clearing off the line twice as the visitors held out for a point.
Rovers began on the front foot, but it was Moors who came closest early on. In the ninth minute, Darius Lipsiuc blazed over wildly with only the exposed Harry Isted to beat.
Rovers soon hit back. Kyle McAllister’s neat touch released Harry Whitwell, though the West Brom loanee dragged his effort wide. At the opposite end, Moors’ Tyrese Sinclair warmed up the contest with a sharp effort that skimmed the outside of the Rovers’ net from a tight angle.
McAllister tried his luck from the edge of the box with eight minutes left in the half, and he remained lively, fizzing another attempt wide after good work from Temi Babalola.
Abraham Kanu’s block denied Sinclair shortly before Solihull finally found their mark on 43 minutes, Whitmore drilling past Isted. In first-half stoppage time, Rovers’ Whitwell was a whisker from levelling, clipping the outside of the post from distance.
Savage’s Rovers opened the second-half with gusto. Clarke’s spectacular header off the line from Whitwell’s shot after an exchange of passes with Tre Pemberton. Clarke cleared again off the goal line for the second time in as many minutes from Pemberton. Rovers kept knocking on the Moors’ door. Goalkeeper Laurie Walker blocked with his feet to thwart Tom Knowles.
Rovers’ pressure told on 62 minutes – Haughton twisted and turned to fizz in beyond Walker from McAllister’s assist. Rovers were relentless. Babalola turned in the box to hit the side-netting from Laurent Mendy’s cross – Rovers fans thinking the ball was in the net.
Knowles’ skidder in stoppage-time saw Walker smother as Solihull held out.
Moors’ boss Millington was delighted to come away with a point: “We felt that we had the clearer cut chances, we restricted them to corners and efforts from range.
“We deserved the lead because we’d set up a certain press to create opportunities from that and I thought we looked dangerous in moments.
“We knew they’d throw the kitchen sink at us in the second-half, but then when you strip it right back, it may be down to them having an off day in front of goal.”
STAT ATTACK
Forest Green Rovers 1 (Haughton 62)
Solihull Moors 1 (Whitmore 43 )
Team line-ups
Forest Green: ( 4-2-3-1) Isted 6; Knowles 7, Mendy 7, Kanu 7 (Robson 83) , Buyabu 7 (Clarke 73, 6); Moore 6 (Pemberton 46, 8), Bunker 7; McAllister 8, Whitwell 8, Haughton 7; Babalola 7
Subs not used: McNicholas, Kengni, Bamba, Dausch
Solihull Moors (4-4-2): Walker 6; Clarke 8, Whitmore 7, French 7, Green 7; Lipsiuc 7( Nicholson 86), Osborne 6 (Tipton 60, ), High 7, Sinclair 7 (Sonupe 60, ); Stevenson 7, Sbarra 7 ( Worman 60, 6)
Subs not used: Flahavan, Bowen, Nurse
Half time: Forest Green 0-1 Solihull Moors
Referee: Paul Johnson
Star man: ( Harry Whitwell, Forest Green, midfielder)
Attendance: 1,894
Rating: 4/5
Match statistics
Shots on target : 8 /1
Shots off target: 16 / 3
Corners: 16 / 3
Offside: 0 / 0
Fouls: 15 / 13
Yellow cards: 2 / 3
Red cards: 0/0
Next-up: Rovers welcome Scott Rogers’ Weston-super-Mare to the New Lawn next Saturday in the FA Tophy. The Seagulls have qualified for the FA Cup third round for the first time in their history.
