ROOKIE striker Kurtis Guthrie is aiming to kick-on after his stunning brace saw Forest Green share the points in a 3-3 thriller at fellow Conference play-off chasers Torquay.

Ady Pennock’s side clawed their way back from 3-1 down with 15 minutes left to earn a draw in Devon.

Ryan Bowman put the Gulls ahead with a looping header and Toby Ajala’s close-range finish doubled the advantage.

Jersey-born Guthrie replied with a precise header only for Ajala’s strike to make it 3-1.

However, a sumptuous James Norwood free-kick gave the visitors hope and Guthrie stabbed home the equaliser.

“It was nice to get off the mark because it’s been a bit of a difficult time for myself,” said the 21-year-old, who joined in the summer from Welling.

“When I first came in I don’t think the fans knew too much about me and I know they weren’t too sure about me.

“But I’ve had to dig in and show what I can do, which is something I relish. It’s a fresh start for me and hopefully I can kick-on now.”

Both sides had chances to take all three points at the death, but a stunning Sam Russell stop preserved the stalemate and pushed Rovers’ unbeaten run to eight games.

Despite a sluggish start, Pennock was relieved to pick up a point.

He said: “We’ve given teams 2-0, 3-0 leads and that just can’t happen. It’s nice that we’re scoring goals but we’re just conceding a little bit (too often) now.

“(Kurtis Guthrie) has come in full-time, he’s getting stronger and I thought he was a very good handful today.

“That’s four points we’ve taken off Torquay this year, so I’m very pleased.”

Having clocked up a year at the helm, the former Stoke City coach is looking to turn Rovers into a “proper” football club.

“I want us to be a proper football club and I didn’t think that was the case when I first came here.

“The foundations are being set and it will be interesting to see where we are in another year’s time.

“A stat came out the other day that showed we’re 11 points better off and 10 places higher than this time last year,” said Pennock.

“The average crowd is also 30 per cent up, so it can’t have been a bad year.

“I’d like to thank all the players who have been with me for the whole year, the fans and the chairman for the fantastic support he has given me.

“They have all had a go and there were some good performances, and I would be more than happy to put anybody in.”