Rovers show their fighting spirit (From Stroud News and Journal)

Rovers show their fighting spirit

THE Forest Green Rovers revival is still up and running with four points taken from their two matches this week.

On Saturday, Rovers and Barnet played out an entertaining four-all draw at The Lawn then on Monday night Rovers travelled to Telford and secured a 1-0 win with a goal six minutes from time from Kayode Odejayi.

The results have taken Colin Addison's team up to 15th position in the Nationwide Conference.

The major influence that the new manager has had is that his team is playing with much more determination and confidence.

Against Barnet, Rovers were twice two goals behind but they battled back to grab the equaliser and could even have won the game had luck gone their way.

The team have also showed at Telford that despite having to defend for most of the night they could hold tight and then go forward and steal a late winner.

These sort of characteristics have been missing throughout this campaign and if they had gone two goals down earlier in the season they would have gone on to lose by three or four - not battle back and level.

Having this spirit embedded into the team can only be a good thing but they will have to be on their best of form when they travel to Doncaster this Friday evening, kick-off 7.45pm.

Alex Meechan injured his hamstring at Telford and was replaced early in the second-half by Neil Grayson. Rovers will be training tonight and Addison will make a decision on whether the former Bristol City man is fit to travel to Doncaster.

Defender Lee Russell has been troubled by ankle injuries and missed the match at Telford.

Forest Green 4, Barnet 4

TWO goals by substitute Alex Meechan gave Rovers a share of the spoils in an entertaining game of football at The Lawn.

Barnet took an early lead when Jason Soloman headed home from a corner and it was not the long until they doubled their lead.

Junior Agogo took the ball down and fired a left footed shot into the bottom corner.

Rovers fans might have thought 'here we go again' and that another defeat was on the cards.

But Gary Owers' floated free-kick was headed in by John Richardson to pull one goal back. Then Odejayi charged down a poor clearance by the Barnet keeper and tapped in the second.

The teams went in level at the break and there was all to play for in the second-half. The early chances fell to Barnet and they took the lead again when Ben Strevens toe poked a shot high into the top corner.

And Mark Gower added a fourth after a superb build-up led to the midfielder slotting home.

To come back from two goals down for a second time might have been too much but Addison brought on Meechan and he fired Rovers level with two identical goals.

For both efforts he ran onto flick headers and fired the ball low past the Barnet keeper.

Rovers could even have snatched an unlikely victory when Meechan played in Alex Sykes, but his shot clipped the post.

Telford 0, Forest Green 1

KAYODE Odejayi's goal in the 84th minute gave Rovers a superb victory in a crunch match at Telford on Monday night.

Both teams were languishing near the bottom places in the table and a win would give either side a lift up the table.

Telford had more chances and Steve Perrin was on top form to deny them the opening goal.

Rovers' defence kept hanging on and with minutes to go Odejayi scored the winner.

He collected a long ball by Neil Grayson before going past a defender then rifling the ball into the top corner of the net.