Vanarama Conference

Forest Green 2

Alfreton 0

VETERAN striker Lee Hughes bagged his 300th career goal to maintain Forest Green’s 100-per-cent start to the season against Alfreton Town today.

Goals in each half from the evergreen Hughes and Clovis Kamdjo saw Forest Green comfortably home.

Rovers were handed a pre-match blow with left-back  James Jennings set to miss the season after a scan revealed ACL damage to his knee.

Earlier, buoyed by back-to-back victories, boss Ady Pennock resisted the temptation to tinker and named an unchanged side for the third consecutive match.

Rovers hit the ground running. Elliott Frear''s first-time cross saw Jon Parkin's glancing header fly wide after good foraging from former Premiership star Hughes.

Frear's incisive running was causing the Derbyshire outfit problems and from one such burst, Anthony Howell saw yellow on 21 minutes.

The game hit a stalemate, but a contentious penalty appeal against Forest Green turned the tide in Rovers’ favour on 31 minutes.

Alfreton appealed for a Chris Stokes handball, but the ball was quickly recycled to Parkin who broke from deep to find midfielder Sam Wedgbury, who allowed Rob Sinclair to feed the supporting David Pipe. His arrowed in cross fell to Hughes, who used his predatory instincts to smash home his second goal of the season.

Rovers were rocking. Stokes’ buccaneering run allowed Frear to find the leaping Kamdjo, to plant his header into the arms of Alfreton keeper Jon Stewart.

Alfreton had a great chance to net parity on 58 minutes. Bradley Wood’s arching ball from the right picked out the unmarked Joe Ironside, who somehow missed the target with a poorly directed flying header.

Rovers responded as the tempo started to rise. Danny Coles watched his header crash the underside of the bar from a Sinclair corner.

However, Alfreton remained a threat. Jake Sheridan beat Pipe to pick out Chris Smith, who slashed wide.

Rovers have a streetwise look this season and they bagged a second on 69 minutes.

Sinclair’s corner picked out Kamdjo, who nodded in his second goal of the season to put Rovers in the box seat on 69 minutes.

Pennock made a double change on 80 minutes with goalscorer Parkin being replaced by Luke Rodgers and fans’ favourite James Norwood coming on for Sinclair.

Smith saw a header blocked by Oliver as Alfreton looked for a late riposte.

With two minutes to go, Stokes left the field clutching his left hamstring, to be replaced by Marcus Kelly.

Forest Green: S. Russell; D. Pipe, L. Oliver, D. Coles, C. Stokes; R. Sinclair (J.Norwood 80), C. Kamdjo, S. Wedgbury, E. Frear, J. Parkin (L.Rodgers 80), L. Hughes.

Subs not used: K.Guthrie, A. Bangura.

Attendance: 956

Away fans: 43

Star man: Clovis Kamdjo. Rovers’ new midfield warrior,bossed the game from start-to-finish.