Rovers bow out in carnival style (From Stroud News and Journal)

Rovers bow out in carnival style

Forest Green 5, Dagenham and Redbridge 2 FOREST Green signed off their best-ever season in the Nationwide Conference with a five-goal flourish in a carnival atmosphere at The Lawn on Saturday.

A convincing victory over a depleted Dagenham side, who understandably had one eye on their forthcoming promotion play-off clashes against Morecambe, left Rovers in ninth place in the table, an undreamt of position after a dreadful start to the campaign which saw them lose all of their first five matches.

That horrendous beginning was all but forgotten on Saturday as a Rovers side fielding just three recognised defenders laid on an end-of-season goal festival for the 1,020 crowd. And although they stuttered momentarily as Dagenham wiped out a two-goal deficit with soft goals either side of the interval, they quickly stepped up a gear to add three more in a frantic seven-minute spell in the second half to run out comfortable winners.

It might have been more but for some wayward finishing and the efforts of Dagenham keeper Paul Gothard who had a busy afternoon which began in the third minute as he raced out to block Alex Meechan's angled shot after the striker had pounced on a weak back-pass.

Five minutes later Gothard miscued a hasty clearance from another back-pass to allow Neil Grayson to head across goal but with the net gaping Steve Cowe slid his shot a yard wide.

Gary Owers earned a 12th minute booking for a second mistimed tackle, but he nearly set up Rovers' opener when he found Meechan on the left of the penalty area and when he laid the ball off Alex Sykes thundered a powerful 30-yard effort just over the bar.

Dagenham responded briefly as Steve West headed just too high and then John McGrath was put clear in the box only to see his shot blocked by the alert Steve Perrin. But Rovers responded by taking the lead in the 26th minute when Meechan forced a corner on the right.

Skipper Jon Richardson should have headed home a precise in-swinging flag-kick by Sykes but failed to make contact and the ball carried through to Darren Jones beyond the far post. He headed back across goal where Grayson flicked a close range header goalwards and although Gothard and a defender tried to keep the ball out, the linesman instantly flagged that it had crossed the line.

Meechan nearly made it two in the 38th minute, heading a pinpoint Sykes cross down but just outside the near upright, but two minutes later Rovers made it 2-0 again from a corner.

Owers took it on the left and when the ball was cleared back to him he controlled it and sent in a fine cross for Kayode Odejayi to head against the post. However, Sykes pounced on the rebound to fire it back in again and this time Richardson to burst into the six-yard box to power an unstoppable volley into the roof of the net.

West, injured in trying to prevent the goal went off for treatment, to return as the first half moved into injury time and it seemed that Rovers would take a deserved two-goal lead into the interval but a moment of defensive laxity proved their undoing.

There seemed little threat as Steve Jenkins moved to intercept a pass from midfield, but he let the ball wriggle past him for West to run through and beat the advancing Perrin with a low shot inside the far post.

Worse was to follow as Rovers saw their advantage wiped out within a minute of the restart. Dagenham took possession in midfield and when the ball was crossed from the right, Paul Terry ran through unchallenged to beat a helpless Perrin with a crisp volley at his near post.

Suddenly, from a position of strength Rovers had it all to do again. But to their credit they immediately picked up their game again and floored Dagenham with a dazzling three goal salvo that settled the outcome in the space of seven minutes.

They regained the lead in the 55th minute again following a Sykes corner which saw Meechan have a low shot blocked. However, the ball was not cleared and when Odejayi ran through a gap in the visiting rearguard, Gothard could only parry his shot to Grayson who calmly drove a firm angled shot inside the far post.

Three minutes later Grayson fought for possession in his own half, beat a defender to race away at pace and although Gothard came out to partially block his shot it flew off his body and into the net off the underside of the bar.

Sykes then fired a shot across goal but in the 62nd minute Rovers wrapped up the nap hand with a decisive fifth instigated by another superb 60-yard break by Odejayi.

When a Dagenham attack broke down the gangling striker ignored support on both flanks to bear down on goal himself, and although he was forced wide, he got in a low cross, which was only partially cleared for Cowe to atone for his earlier miss with a precise shot from ten yards.

And that was it, all bar a flurry of substitutions and further chances for both sides which failed to produce another goal, although Rovers supporters were more than content with such an entertaining finale to a season that had begun so miserably but was concluded in emphatically satisfying style.

Forest Green: Perrin, Jones, Richardson, Jenkins, Foster (75, Mcloughlin), Owers (63, Cook), Sykes, Cowe, Meechan (72, Adams), Grayson, Odejayi. Subs (not used): Allen, Giannangelo. Dagenham and Redbridge: Gothard, Goodwin, Cole, Potts, Broom, McGrath, Heffer, Terry, Janney (70, Mustafa), Hill (66, Rooney), West (56, Smith). Subs (not used): Roberts, Murrat. Referee: Mo Matadar (Blackburn). Attendance: 1020.