Forest Green Rovers manager Robbie Savage hailed his team’s performance following their 2-1 home victory against Aldershot Town at The New Lawn, marking their first back-to-back league wins since November.
Tate Campbell and Tom Knowles scored in the first half to give Forest Green a confident 2-0 lead. Despite a late goal from Aldershot, the visitors could not find an equalizer.
Savage described the opening 45 minutes as their best performance since their game against Yeovil, calling it “scintillating” and praising the team’s offensive fluidity and overlaps. He noted one area for improvement: the team needed to be more clinical rather than relying on too many cutbacks.
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“Back-to-back wins quiet the critics,” Savage said, highlighting the role of experienced players like Doidge, Bunks, and Kyle in supporting younger teammates. “The young players are winning games, but it’s with experience; Doidgey’s a massive influence in the dressing room.”
Campbell opened the scoring early with a close-range finish after a well-worked right-side attack. Later, Knowles doubled the lead by smashing a volley into the top corner following a precise cutback from Chibby Nwoko, earning his 10th goal of the season.
The visitors applied sustained pressure in the second half and pulled one back in the 66th minute through Charlie Warren. Savage acknowledged the challenge, saying the team looked “a little bit worried” but remained resilient.
Late in the game, Forest Green thought they had sealed their win with a third goal when Kyle McAllister scored after capitalizing on a header back to the Aldershot goalkeeper. However, the goal was controversially disallowed for offside, a decision Savage disputed after speaking with the officials.
“It’s been ruled out for offside, but I’ve talked to the officials and when they see it again, they’ll be disappointed. It should have stood,” he remarked, adding that a 3-1 lead with five minutes left would have effectively ended the match.
A notable highlight was the debut of D’Mani Mellor, who started just 24 hours after signing. Savage praised Mellor’s movement and link-up play, suggesting he should be competing at a higher level.
Savage himself missed the game due to a touchline ban following a yellow card from the previous match, meaning he watched from the stands for the second consecutive game as his side won.
Forest Green Rovers line-up: Isted; Ahmed (Pemberton 72), Mingi (Bunker 59), Kanu, Buyabu (Kengni 59); Mendy, Campbell, McAllister, Nwoko (Haughton 80); Knowles (Clarke 72), Mellor. Subs: Pagel, Doidge.
Aldershot Town line-up: Boyce-Clarke; Hill, Nightingale, Grogan, Sheckleford (Penney 46); Hargreaves, Meerholz (Frost 81); Warren, Henry (Peart 46), Barrett (Thomas 46); Stewart (Nelson 76). Subs not used: Nash, Anderson.
Referee: Declan Brown
Attendance: 2,281 (368 away).