RUB OF THE GREEN

Forest Green are a well-known football club however football is not what they are well-known for.

I assume that their supporters get rather tired of reading column inches about what the club serve from the concourse rather than how they are playing on the pitch. So for this short piece if you are looking for comments about their vegan delights or the beer they pour or indeed their chairman’s eco business practices then you might wish to try this article.

Here I am going to be focussing solely on what they have done on the pitch starting yesterday at Grimsby.

Now one game into the new season hardly gives much of a sample size to go on but a 4-1 away victory at a revamped Grimsby Town is not to be sniffed at even if the Mariners were more than generous with some of their defending.

The club, and my co-host of our weekly podcast will probably not thank me for this, have signed some good players including ex-Cheltenham captain Carl Winchester and Welsh international George Williams. They join a squad that already contains a number of attacking talents with Christian Doidge the most prolific and talented of the lot.

The striker has been very consistent for the Green Devils since joining them from Dagenham & Redbridge back in 2016. In his first season he fired them to promotion with 25 goals in the Conference National and last season his 15 strikes kept them in League Two. He already has two in 2018/19 and is a target for some bigger clubs but the club will not be forced to sell their prized asset.

They have built on the business they did in January, the most notable addition of the winter transfer window was possibly Dayle Grubb. The midfielder was a brilliant signing and one who, looking at what he did at Weston Super Mare, I am surprised didn’t earn a move into the football league earlier.

The important thing this season will be their ability to defend especially set-pieces. Last season they conceded goals all too easily forcing Cooper to sign Farrend Rawson from Coventry City after he impressed on loan at Accrington. The defender was very solid at Blundell Park yesterday and prevented Rovers from conceding a goal from open play which is encouraging.

Three points on the board Cooper now needs to prove that Dale Vince was right to have faith in him when he chose to keep the manager in post despite the teams struggles last season.

It will be a big season for the manager and anything more than consolidation will be seen as a bonus but based on this opening performance that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The talent and balance of the squad looks much better and Liam Shephard coming in at right-back is a brilliant signing. The 23-year-old was excellent yesterday and will play a big part if they are to be successful this season.

There will always be those quick to deride the club because of the financial advantage a rich owner gives them but let’s be honest no club is going to turn that down. Dale Vince has built the club without splashing ridiculous transfer fees and will surely be hoping to increase the fan base over the next few seasons. For now though 2018/19 has started well for FGR it is up to them to prove they can sustain it.

words James Richards, D3D4 Football