Forest Green Rovers moved up to 15th in the National League after a controlled 2-0 victory over Eastleigh, a result that gave the club’s interim coaching team its first three points since Robbie Savage departed for League One side Peterborough United.
Josh Bowen, Yan Klukowski and Jonathan Gould oversaw a performance in which Rovers defended firmly, created several opportunities and threatened repeatedly from set-pieces. Will Grigg scored on his official debut, while Filozofe Mabete added the second goal in the closing stages of the match.
The win leaves Forest Green eight points outside the play-off positions. It also means Rovers have now won their last five meetings with Matt Gray’s Eastleigh since returning to the National League.
Grigg scores on official debut
Forest Green built pressure through the wide areas during the opening half and went ahead after 28 minutes. Reading loanee Kelvin Abrefa found Grigg unmarked only a couple of yards from goal, allowing the experienced striker to tap the ball past Eastleigh goalkeeper Nick Townsend.
Grigg, who made 13 appearances for Northern Ireland between 2012 and 2018, worked hard during his first competitive appearance for the club. He was replaced by D’Mani Mellor with 25 minutes remaining, but Bowen said the striker had already made a strong contribution.
“Will (Grigg) has great pedigree; we know what he is about. He is a great lad in the dressing room, the standards he sets and then on the pitch as well; he has got that great quality and that nous. He was excellent for as much as he could give us; he will only get fitter and stronger as well. D’Mani (Mellor) did excellently when he replaced him and gave us a really good outlet.”
Bowen also highlighted the range of attacking options available to Forest Green. He said some forwards had been unavailable, but believed all of the strikers would be important during the rest of the season.
“I really don’t think we are far away, we have spoken about the chances we create. The strikers that we have got, a couple of them are missing.”
Abrefa was another prominent performer. The Reading loanee provided the pass for Grigg’s opener, and Bowen said he had known the player for years and trusted him to develop into a top player if his mentality and consistency were right.
“I have known Kelvin for years, he can be anything he wants to be when he is on it and his mentality is right. He has got every attribute to be a top player for us and in the future as well, he was excellent all night I thought.”
Mabete finishes second set-piece move
Rovers’ set-piece work continued to cause problems for Eastleigh. Jayden Clarke nearly doubled the lead after 68 minutes when a fierce free-kick struck the crossbar. The loose ball was not converted, but Forest Green scored six minutes later.
Townsend palmed an effort away and Mabete reacted first to the dropping ball, drilling it home from close range. The finish secured the points and capped a night when Rovers repeatedly looked dangerous from dead-ball situations.
“We do carry a real threat from set-plays and we worked on that certainly going into this game. We looked dangerous from them all night and luckily, he got that one, I was delighted that he was alive to that dropping ball to smash it home.”
Bowen added that Mabete did not need to strike the ball quite so forcefully, but was pleased to see the effort reach the back of the net.
Sass injury concern
The principal concern from the match involved Freddie Sass. The defender was replaced by Neil Kengni in the 23rd minute after appearing to sustain a serious foot injury. Bowen said Sass would be assessed during the course of the week, although the source does not provide a confirmed diagnosis or prognosis.
Despite that setback, Forest Green restricted Eastleigh to very few clear opportunities. Luke McNicholas was rarely called upon to make a save, although Bowen praised the goalkeeper’s handling of crosses and his overall performance.
“It was routine in the sense that we had to work hard for the whole game, we restricted them to very little, we have to go back and remember how many times Luke actually had to make a save and that is not taking anything away from him because I thought he was excellent at taking crosses and that sort of stuff.”
Response after difficult results
The victory followed a challenging period for Rovers. Their match against Barrow was abandoned after Forest Green had started poorly and conceded a cheap goal from kick-off. Bowen said the coaching staff and players addressed the performance immediately afterwards.
He also singled out the defeat by Hartlepool as the team’s main disappointment because too many easy and preventable goals had been conceded. By contrast, Forest Green kept a clean sheet away to Chesham in the FA Cup, despite the opponents being only one division below them.
“Myself, Yan (Klukowski) and Jonathan (Gould) had words after the game when we went inside. In addition to that, the players led most of the rampage afterwards, they all pointed fingers at themselves and other players.”
Bowen said the response against Eastleigh showed that the players understood what had been unacceptable and provided a platform for them to start the match on the front foot.
Harrogate next at The New Lawn
Forest Green’s next fixture is at home to high-flying Harrogate Town in a Saturday lunchtime kick-off. Harrogate also played on Wednesday, against Carlisle, meaning both sides face a quick turnaround.
Bowen said he expected Forest Green’s squad to cope with the schedule, pointing to the team’s fitness, energy and ability to press opponents. He added that there would be no excuses and that whichever players were selected should be capable of giving everything for 90 minutes.
The Eastleigh match attracted 1,147 supporters, including 46 away fans. Forest Green started with Luke McNicholas in goal; Kelvin Abrefa, Filozofe Mabete, McIntyre and Freddie Sass in defence; Jayden Clarke and Campbell in midfield; McAllister, Kyle Kelly and Etaluku behind Grigg. Sass was replaced by Kengni, while Mellor came on for Grigg and Haughton and Ifeanyi replaced Kelly and Etaluku late on.