Rovers suffer two pre-season defeats (From Stroud News and Journal)

Rovers suffer two pre-season defeats

TEN goals were conceded by Forest Green in their first two pre-season matches but the scorelines were not the main issue for Nigel Spinks new look side.

Spink used the home friendlies against Cheltenham Town and Birmingham City to look at players and to try out a unfamiliar 4-3-3 formation.

Former Sunderland midfielder Gary Owers and Alan McLoughlin started in midfield alongside youngster Danny Allen while Spink fielded the impressive duo of Lee Russell and Jon Richardson in a new look central defensive partnership.

Russell tackled well and showed steel while Richardson, who has been offered terms at two Football League clubs, also gave a good account of himself.

Former Cheltenham Town forward Neil Grayson made his Rovers debut against his old club in Thursday night and impressed his old and new supporters.

Gary Owers still lives locally after his spell playing in Bristol and he is on trial at The Lawn.

Ex-Southampton star McLoughlin, who showed an excellent range of passing and vision, Owers and Grayson all impressed in both games.

But Matthew Coupe, who re-signed at The Lawn last season, was the star against Town with an accomplished display.

Coupe was very hard working and definetly has the talent to be a permanent fixture in the Rovers starting 11.

He played the 90 minutes at right full-back but the one advantage has Coupe has is that he can play in a number of positions in defence and midfield.

Forest Green Rovers 1, Cheltenham Town 4

ROVERS fielded five new recruits in their starting eleven but it was Cheltenham Towns own trialist who stole the show.

Former Bristol City forward Damian Spencer came on in the second-half and changed the match with a brace of goals.

Mark Yates opened the scoring with a first-half penalty but Steve Jenkins later levelled the scores with a header.

Spencer then added his two goals, the second a thunderbolt past Rovers keeper Ellis Glassup, and Richardson rounded off the scoring with an own to make the result 4-1.

Forest Green Rovers 0, Birmingham City 6

THIS was never meant to be a match that Forest Green Rovers would win as Premiership new boys Birmingham City showed the momentous gulf in quality with a six goal salvo.

Rovers can take solace as they opened brightly against Steve Bruces men, only to see the Blues sting them five times in the first period.

However, to their credit, Nigel Spinks team restricted the boys from the Black Country to a solitary Bryan Hughes goal after the break, after earlier strikes from Stan Lazaridus (two), Stern John, Geoff Horsfield and a somewhat fortuitous penalty from Welsh star Robbie Savage.

In truth Rovers will not face a side of the magnitude of City when they begin their Conference campaign, and it was two ex top flight stars that could with the help of Grayson make the difference between a season of stability, rather than struggle.

Alan McLoughlin a former Southampton midfielder probed and prompted alongside Gary Owens, once of Sunderland fame. Both impressed, as did Grayson.

In mitigation Savage and company rarely broke sweat but Rovers can take more from this than the score suggests.