Forest Green Rovers Season Preview 2021/22: A new era begins

Five years at one club in modern football is a remarkable achievement, but Mark Cooper’s reign in Nailsworth is over and the team is quickly moving on.

Cooper, regardless of what you think of him as a man, did a decent job in his half-decade at Forest Green. Promotion to the Football League and a play-off appearance in 2018/19 were the high water marks but it felt the right time to make a change.

The Green Devils looked set to miss out on a top-seven berth before Jimmy Ball rescued the situation and snuck them over the line with a final day win at Oldham. They crashed out in the semi-final against Newport in a thrilling play-off semi-final and now the new era really begins.

Rob Edwards, formerly a coach at Wolves and England U16s, was appointed as Cooper’s successor in May and he looks set to continue the footballing philosophy this club has built in the last few years.

Edwards is keen to retain the possession-based style and wants to dominate with the ball in the final third, but it might take him time to put those ideas into practice.

One thing he can count on is the support of Dale Vince. He has his detractors, most of them based on the Wirral, but this is a chairman who gives his managers time. There were plenty of opportunities to sack Mark Cooper when he hit his annual blip, but Vince never waivered and that deserves a lot of credit.

With his squad in place, 2021/22 is a big opportunity for Edwards to show what he can do. It will certainly be interesting.

The Squad

There have been a few changes with the squad this summer, although not as drastic as some sides in League Two. Gone are experienced duo Scott Wagstaff and Chris Stokes and tricky forward Aaron Collins joined Bristol Rovers.

A core of talent remains with Udoka Godwin-Malife and Baily Cargil likely to be key players in defence this season. The versatile Dan Sweeney and Jordon Moore-Taylor are also still with the club as is highly-rated wing-back come winger Nicky Cadden. Perhaps most importantly, Ebou Adams remains a Green Devil. He will have garnered some interest this summer but keeping him feels like a big deal for the club.

Jamille Matt made a remarkable recovery from a horrific hand injury to feature in the playoffs, he will be an important figure again this season in Nailsworth. The club have added young prospects Opi Edwards and Sadou Diallo from Bristol City and Wolves respectively while classy midfielder Ben Stevenson has arrived from Colchester.

Jack Aitchison returns for a second spell on loan having impressed during his first back in 2019/20.

Newcomer to watch: Regan Hendry

The former Celtic youth prospect comes high-rated. He has signed a two-year deal after leaving Raith Rovers this summer. The 23-year-old has great ability on the ball and is likely to be an excellent addition in midfield for Forest Green.

Just to highlight his ability, he was voted in the Scottish Championship Team of the Season by both the Scottish PFA and the SPFL in 2021, not too shabby.

Verdict

It’s hard to tell what this season will look like for Forest Green. Five years under Mark Cooper are now over and the Rob Edwards era has begun. Looking at his coaching credentials and the squad he now has at his disposal, Edwards should be able to get his team in and around the playoff places but let’s be optimistic and say top-three.

words James Richards, D3D4 Football