Forest Green Rovers’ winless streak stretched to three matches after a hard-fought 3-2 defeat against Scunthorpe United at the Attis Arena on Saturday evening.
The visitors started strongly, taking an early lead within the first five minutes. Laurent Mendy, fresh from a rejected transfer bid to Hearts, delivered a precise ball over the Scunthorpe defense to Ricardo Rees. Rees expertly chipped the ball over goalkeeper Rory Mahady to open the scoring.
Scunthorpe responded before halftime, earning a decisive penalty when Elijah Morrison fouled Danny Whitehall inside the box. Whitehall calmly converted the spot-kick, sending Forest Green’s keeper Harry Isted the wrong way to level the score.
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Early in the second half, Scunthorpe took the lead thanks to Zain Westbrooke’s powerful low strike from the edge of the box, which found the bottom left corner.
Forest Green fought back again before the hour mark, with Jili Buyabu blasting a fierce shot from the left side of the box into the near top corner, restoring parity with a stunning strike.
The winning goal came from substitute Carlton Ubaezuonu, who had just come on two minutes prior. Capitalizing on a loose pass by Temi Babalola in the Rovers’ half, Ubaezuonu swiftly turned and fired a shot that sealed the victory for Scunthorpe with 15 minutes remaining.
Scunthorpe United lineup: Mahady; Barrows (Belehouan 65), Evans, Horton, Denton; Hurst (Smith 65), Rowley, Westbrooke; Roberts, Whitehall (Beestin 73), Ewing (Ubaezuonu 73). Unused subs: Jones, Starbuck, Howe.
Forest Green Rovers lineup: Isted; Mingi (Knowles 66), Mendy, Kanu, Morrison (Clarke 82); McAllister, Bunker, Nwoko, Buyabu; Babalola (Doidge 76), Rees. Unused subs: Pagel, Kengni, Pemberton, Haughton.
Referee: Ross Joyce. Attendance: 5,215 (98 away fans).