FOREST GREEN ROVERS
LAST SEASON
LEAGUE TWO 5th FA CUP First Round LEAGUE CUP Second Round TOP SCORER Christian Doidge (14)
FANFILE LAURIE MARTIN @lauriemartin263
The big talking point among the fans is our proposed stadium move to the side of the M5, rejected by the council. The decision has split the fanbase. This season will be different because there is some sort of expectation on us for the first time since promotion.
I won’t be happy unless we improve our home form. Several drab games at the New Lawn last season hindered an automatic promotion challenge. Our key player will be the league’s leading right-back, Liam Shephard [above]. His dynamism is integral to how we play. It’s no coincidence our worst run came when he was injured. Our most underrated player is Nathan Mcginley, a classy, left-footed, ball playing centre-half destined for big things. Only 22, he really matured towards the end of the last campaign. The opposition player I secretly admire is Crawley’s Ollie Palmer. He’s a towering, aggressive centre-forward and a nightmare to defend against. The best away ground is Oldham’s Boundary Park, a proper old-fashioned stadium with plenty of character.
The one recommendation for away fans is to not walk up the hill to the ground. Only the fittest should try it. The player I’d happily drive to another club is Charlie Cooper. The manager’s son is unfairly scapegoated at times, but his unsuccessful loan spell at Newport proved he isn’t good enough for this level. His Forest Green contract was extended this summer. The one change I’d make to the club would be to put the focus on football. I’m not particularly bothered about the whole veganism element of the club, but constant tweets about how to make vegan brownies are tedious. The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is that Mark Cooper [below] is building an exciting team that plays attractive football. His relationship with the fans is improving. It was hard to warm to him, despite promotion in his first year, as he criticised fans and froze out quality players such as Kieffer Moore – who’s now in the Championship. We’ll finish 6th. Last season’s play-off heartbreak will help us in the long run.