WYCOMBE WANDERERS 3

FOREST GREEN 1

HONEST Forest Green boss Mark Cooper admitted he may have to go back to basics as his League Two newcomers suffered another away day collapse.

First-half goals from Wycombe’s Paris Cowan-Hall, Anthony Stewart, and Luke O’Nien gave Cooper’s side a mountain to climb and despite a second-half rally, the damage had been done.

Rovers have now leaked 15 goals in their opening five Sky Bet League Two game, prompting Cooper to reconsider his side’s playing style.

“We might have to get it and whack it,” said Cooper. “We might do what everyone else does and whack it forwards and if we have to do that to get results, then we will do it.”

Cooper’s predominately youthful side carry a few wise old heads, but Rovers’ boss felt they failed to step up to the plate.

He added: “We can’t defend like that and expect to win a game of football. The game is gone at half-time and I said to the players ‘win the second-half’, which we did and we competed well, but experienced players giving away goals like that is horrendous.”

Rovers had set up to contain Adebayo Akinfenwa, but failed to tame The Beast.

“We knew exactly what their strength is, they are going to whack the ball straight up to Akinfenwa and we have to deal with it, but we didn’t deal with the aerial threat.”

Despite pointing the finger at his defence, Cooper shouldered some of the blame himself.

“I will take the blame, the selection and the team I picked, but we have to be better defensively.

“We have got good players, but we have to give them a platform to perform, defensively we have to give ourselves a foothold in the game, which enable those flair players to shine.”

With just one win in five, Cooper acknowledged the step up in class.

“ This is a big step up, but we have been in every game apart from Colchester.”

Following the 2-0 Checkatrade victory over Newport County, boss Mark Cooper resisted the temptation to tinker, naming an unchanged team.

Sam Russell was handed his first league start in goal ahead of Chelsea loanee Brad Collins. Midweek goalscorer Dan Wishart retained his place and deadline day Liverpool loan signing Toni Gomes started on the bench with Wolves winger Will Randall.

A high-octane opening started with Rovers on the front-foot. Liam Noble’s long ball inside the first minute saw Wycombe defender Adam EL- ABD tug back Christian Doidge. EL-ABD incurred a yellow and Noble’s free-kick was beaten away by former Cheltenham Town keeper Scott Brown.

It was fast and furious – former Peterborough striker Craig Mackail-Smith watched his audacious overhead kick hit the side-netting. The Chairboys found their range and nosed ahead through Paris Cowan-Hall.

Rovers responded – Noble’s free-kick beating the sprawling Brown and hitting the post.

Goals in this embryonic season have been on Rovers’ menu and Cooper’s side found themselves 2-0 down on 22 minutes. Adebayo Akinfenwa’s strength help set Anthony Stewart who fizzed a skidder beyond Russell.

Rovers pressed the self-destruct button on 36 minutes, going 3-0 down. Noble surrendered possession to Akinfenwa who burst through to be denied superbly by Russell, but the free ball fell to Luke O’Nien who rolled the ball into the inviting net. Cooper had seen enough and immediately replaced Alex Iacovitti with the muscular Manny Monthe.

Clearly rocked, Rovers almost leaked a fourth. The unmarked Stewart planted a downward header that Russell did well to block.

Cooper sacrificed Wishart for Gomes at the break as Rovers looked for a way back into the game.

Rovers grabbed a lifeline on 67 minutes. Scott Laird drove forward to find Luke James who picked out Doidge who planted a header against the post which rebounded back to the alert striker who gobbled up his second chance.

Tails up, Gomes was a whisker away from turning the ball in after Brown made a mess of Noble’s free-kick, but the first-half damage had been done.

WYCOMBE WANDERERS 3
Cowan-Hall 7, Stewart 22, O’Nien 36
FOREST GREEN 1
Doidge 68
Attendance:  3,759 Away: 226
Referee: Scott Oldham
RATINGS out of 5
Russell ***
Bennett ***
Iacovitti **
Roberts **
Laird ***
Traore ****
Cooper **
Noble **
Wishart ***
Doidge **
James ***
Subs: Monthe *** (Iavoctti 37), Gomes *** (Wishart 45) Mullings ** (Traore 62).
Subs not used: B Collins, L Collins, Brown, Randall

WYCOMBE: Brown; Harriman, Jacobson, Stewart, EL-ABD; O’Nien, Bloomfield (Bean 79), Cowan-Hall (Freeman 90), Mackail-Smith ( Umerah 69); Akinfenwa.
Subs not used: Richardson, Southwell, Eze, Scarr.
Bookings: EL ABD 6 O’Nien 82.
COMING UP: Forest Green entertain Exeter City in Sky Bet Two on Saturday, (3pm).