Forest Green Rovers manager Robbie Savage conceded that winning the league now looks “very unlikely” following their 1-0 Boxing Day defeat to Brackley Town. Michael Nottingham’s first-half header proved the decisive goal, but Savage lamented that the match could have ended with a much larger margin against his side.
“Congratulations to Brackley, they showed more desire and energy despite being a part-time team training only twice a week,” Savage said. “Credit to Gavin Cowan. I also apologize to our fantastic fans—this was not an acceptable performance. I even questioned giving the players Christmas Day off, maybe I should have called them in because the performance we showed today hasn’t been in us all season.”
The home goal came just after the 15-minute mark from a header off a set piece. Savage expressed frustration, adding, “It’s another goal conceded from a set piece. I assign roles at this club, but after today, I might have to start doing everything myself. We didn’t stop the cross or win the second ball. I defend my players usually, but today’s display was unacceptable.”
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This loss extended Forest Green’s Boxing Day win drought to 13 matches, with only one victory since 2018. Despite this, Savage remains united with his squad: “My players never let me down. We’re in this together. They’ve been magnificent. It appears now we’ll finish in the play-offs, but at this performance level, winning the league looks out of reach, and we would struggle in the play-offs.”
Injuries compounded the challenge after Kyle McAllister was taken off in the 57th minute due to a calf injury expected to sideline him for up to four weeks. Savage acknowledged the need for reinforcements: “I’m not making excuses. Everyone on the pitch today was good enough to beat Brackley. But hopefully, we can sign a couple of players in January. We’re competing with league clubs for targets, but we need to bring in players who improve the squad.”
Controversy arose when Tom Knowles went down in the penalty area just before halftime after an apparent foul by Shane Byrne. However, the referee booked Byrne for simulation instead. “It was a stonewall penalty,” Savage insisted. “We’ve reviewed the footage. It wasn’t intentional, but it was the wrong call.”
Forest Green missed key chances through Temi Babalola and Christian Doidge. Savage warned, “They’ve been told that this performance level won’t happen again. We can’t keep controlling games and creating chances without scoring.”
Goalkeeper Harry Isted made two excellent saves in the first half, denying Brackley opportunities following defensive mistakes. Yet, Savage saw little positive: “We still conceded one goal, so there are no positives from this game.”
Final lineups saw Brackley defend their narrow lead to the final whistle, with 1,497 in attendance, including 322 Forest Green fans eager for a turnaround in form.