It’s back-to-back away fixtures for Darrell Clarke’s team, as we travel to the New Lawn to take on Forest Green Rovers in search of our first win of the season. With the game just a day away, we look back at times we hosted Rovers.
Past Five encounters with Forest Green: LWWDD
Our last visit from the Green Devils:
Sky Bet League Two, The New Lawn, Saturday 16th January 2021: Forest Green Rovers 1-1 Port Vale
Devante Rodney’s 76th minute equaliser was enough to secure Vale a deserved point at The New Lawn Stadium, following a 1-1 draw against Forest Green Rovers.
The Valiants created the first chance of the game after 11 minutes, when Jake Taylor, who was making his second debut for the club, put a dangerous ball into the area, with Tom Conlon being the closest to making contact with the ball, but the ball evaded our captain and went out of play.
Six minutes later, it was Shaun Brisley who had the chance to put the Valiants ahead, when he met Conlon’s in swinging corner, but he could only head it straight at Luke McGee.
But in the 19th minute it was Forest Green who took the lead, when Nicky Cadden’s free-kick into the box sailed all the way to the back post before seemingly being glanced into the back of the net by Rovers skipper Chris Stokes.
Despite being a goal behind, Vale were a constant threat from the set-piece and Nathan Smith and Shaun Brisley both caused problems inside the box with the Forest Green defence under threat, but Stokes’ goal for the hosts was enough to give the hosts a half-time lead, with Vale unable to find the back of the net in the first-half.
With 61 minutes gone, Vale had the chance to level the game when David Fitzpatrick’s long ball found Devante Rodney who cut inside the box before firing an effort at the bottom left corner, but the ball hit McGee’s leg before being cleared from danger.
It was a moment of magic that pulled the Valiants level in the 75th minute, when Conlon laid the ball off to Devante Rodney, who turned to face goal from 25-yards out, before curling an effort into the bottom right corner away from the outstretched palm of McGee, to bring the Valiants to parity.
Forest Green Rovers: McGee, Stokes, Godwin-Malife, Cargill, Wagstaff (Bailey 69’), Cadden, Sweeney (Young 87’), Moore-Taylor (Richardson 69’), Adams, Matt, Collins.
Unused subs: Thomas, Bernard, Hutchinson, Whitehouse.
Port Vale: Brown, Mills, Smith, Birsley, Fitzpatrick, Joyce, Taylor (Burgess 87’), Conlon, Amoo, Hurst (Guthrie 62’), Rodney.
Unused subs: Visser, Campbell-Gordon, Crookes, Bailey, Cullen.
Classic Encounter:
League Two, The New Lawn, Tuesday 11th February 2020: Forest Green Rovers 3-2 Port Vale
Nine-man Port Vale remained outside the play-offs on goal difference as we survived a late scare to hand Forest Green a fifth consecutive home defeat.
The Vale opened the scoring after 14 minutes when David Worrall's corner dropped to Shaun Brisley who rifled the ball into the roof of Scott Logan's net from point blank range.
Vale made it 2-0 with eight minutes of the first half to go, as Rovers’ striker Matty Stevens passed the ball inadvertently to Worrall who picked out Pope and he finished clinically.
Pope then appeared to have killed the game after 70 minutes, smashing home a penalty when Adams brought down Mitchell Clark from behind.
The Valiants led 3-0 and were coasting with three minutes to go until two late red cards put the game in the balance with Forest Green captain Carl Winchester pulling a goal back from the penalty spot on 77 minutes and then planting a header home in the fifth minute of added time.
Mitchell Clark was shown a straight red for Vale when sliding in on Liam Kitching with three minutes to go and Tom Pope joined him in the sixth minute of injury-time for catching Ebou Adams.
Forest Green – Logan, Bernard (Dawson 61), Rawson, Kitching, Stokes, Bailey (Aitchison 23), Winchester, Adams, Frear, Stevens (Collins 75), March
Subs not used – Williams, Hall, McGinley, Thomas
Port Vale – Brown, Clark, Legge, Brisley, Montano, Burgess (Oyeleke 76), Joyce, Conlon (Atkinson 71), Worrall, Pope, Browne
Subs not used – Cullen, Smith, Evans, Bennett, Maddison
Att – 1,682