WHAT a marvellous performance – perhaps the best I have seen at The New Lawn.

Alas, I am not referring to Forest Green Rovers but the supporters of Maidstone United who were magnificent.

They never stopped singing and supporting their team.

“Two-nil and you’re still not singing,” they taunted us. Maidstone players kept going thanks to the effect of the “12th man” and stole two goals to equalise.

It was a frustrating result for Forest Green who are stumbling towards the play-offs.

Dreadful performances against North Ferriby and Southport have been punctuated by a fine win at Tranmere and a good display against Chester.

On Saturday there were good and less good aspects to our display.

Firstly chances were created throughout the game – 22 attempts on goal.

Sadly our goals-to-chances ratio is currently very poor, Kaiyne Wollery’s performance being typical. He uses his pace and ability to create opportunities for himself but then cannot finish.

With Christian Doidge also having an off day where were the goals going to come from?

Keanu Marsh-Brown proved some kind of answer scoring a neat individual goal, but he played as a left sided midfielder and did little else.

Keanu is not blessed with many defensive skills, neither is Omar Bugiel who replaced him.

Consequently Dan Wishart was left without too much cover and when Maidstone finally realised this they scored twice, both goals coming from attacks down that flank.

The results in this “phoney war” leading up to the play-offs are not important as long as lessons are learned.

“We have been relentless and ruthless,” says Danny Cowley of his amazing Lincoln City side. Manager Mark Cooper should pin that phrase on the dressing room wall.

It is a lesson that so many need to learn, but there is another one as well. The lasting memory of the game was the bubbly and buoyant visiting supporters and at the final whistle we saw the huge rapport between fans and staff. That was a lesson for all of us.