THEY HAVE TO SCORE, NOT ME – COOPER
ASHOCKED Mark Cooper says his Forest Green side must take their chances if they are to have a chance of promotion.
Rovers dominated at Macclesfield and led through Carl Winchester’s goal but, after they wasted a succession of chances – including Josh March’s saved penalty – they conceded with the hosts’ only two shots on target to leave empty-handed after a sobering defeat.
“We should have won four or fivenil in my opinion,” said Cooper, after their second straight loss. “We totally dominated the game and, without being disrespectful to Macclesfield, we scored a good goal and were in complete control.
“Then Jevani Brown is clean through and rolls it past a post with only the goalkeeper to beat, we missed a penalty, had more chances and didn’t take them.
“Over the past ten games that’s been happening, I’ll get stick and people will say I have to do something about it but I can’t, they have to stick the ball in the net.
“We’ve had so many chances in the last 10 games and so much domination we should be sitting at the top of the league.
“We’ve let a rubbish goal in for the equaliser then a brilliant goal – you have to take your hat off to their lad for that, but it should have been out of their hands by then, it should have been all over.”
Joe Ironside had scored the equaliser with Macclesfield’s first shot on target 15 minutes from time and Gnahoua hit the second just after they had been reduced to ten men by Corey O’Keeffe’s red card.
Forest Green barely had to get out of second gear in the first half, but led thanks to Carl Winchester’s 18th-minute strike, driven in from 25 yards for only his second goal of the season.
Brown should have doubled the lead midway through the half when clean through, but he scuffed wide.
Josh March wasted Forest Green’s best chance from the penalty spot, two minutes into the second half. Having been fouled by O’Keeffe himself he saw his spot-kick palmed away by Mitchell.
And those glaring misses came back to haunt Rovers as Ironside drilled in the equaliser.
O’Keeffe’s game ended ten minutes from time after he hacked down March charging through but, shortly after, Gnahoua produced his moment of magic to stun Rovers.
Macclesfield’s new head coach Mark Kennedy paid tribute to his players’ resilience, after they weathered the storm to earn three points.
“They showed today that they’re a tough nut to crack,” he said.
“There’s a real team spirit and togetherness and while they have that they’ll always have a chance.”