FOREST GREEN 2

DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE 0

(FOREST GREEN WIN 3-1 ON AGGREGATE)

FOREST GREEN booked their Wembley ticket to the promotion play-off final against Tranmere Rovers next Sunday with a stunning display.

Thursday’s 1-1 in East London was far from a classic, but the return leg in front of a bumper 3,237 New Lawn crowd was pure class as goals from prolific striker Christian Doidge and maverick Keanu Marsh-Brown made it back-to-back visits to the home of football.

Earlier, boss Cooper made two tweaks to the team. In came Ethan Pinnock for Dan Wishart. Meanwhile, Omar Bugiel failed a pre-match fitness test and was replaced by Marsh-Brown.

Following his pre-match claims that Rovers would crumble, Dagenham winger Jordan Maguire-Drew was given the predicted boos from a vociferous home following.

The magnitude of such a game was unsurprisingly matched with a cagey opening and it was Rovers who almost pushed the self-destruct button on 15 minutes. Dale Bennett inexplicably presented a chance to Maguire-Drew, who drilled wide from the edge of the box.

Rovers were painting pretty pictures and started to gain an attacking foothold.

Dagenham keeper Mark Cousins had to show sharp reactions to smother at the feet of Kaiyne Woolery and he did even better to touch over a Christian Doidge header from a Mark Ellis torpedo throw.

Drissa Traore was bossing midfield and his dominance induced a lunge from Andre Boucaud and with it a yellow card just before the half-hour mark.

Rovers’ pressure told and their opener duly arrived on 33 minutes. Ellis won a towering header and Woolery chased down a lost cause against Joe Widdowson – he superbly broke a sliding block to roll the ball across the box for Doidge to rifle home – The New Lawn erupted.

And the roof came off in first-half stoppage-time – Marsh-Brown swapped passes with Pinnock to wrap his foot around the ball from the corner of the box to curl a sumptuous fizzer beyond a sprawling Cousins.

Dagenham boss John Still would have burnt the paint of the changing rooms at half-time, but the anticipated second-half onslaught failed to materialise as Rovers nullified any attacking intent.

Still made a double sub on the hour with Oliver Hawkins replacing former Swindon Town striker Paul Benson and a well-shackled Maguire-Drew going off for Luke Howell – much to the delight of Rovers’ followers.

And it was Marsh-Brown who came close to making it 3-0. He raced onto a super Liam Noble pass and only a brave block prevented a 67th-minute game-over goal. That was it for Marsh-Brown as he left the field to a standing ovation, with Wishart his replacement.

If Marsh-Brown was handed warm applause, Traore was afforded hero status as he soaked up the acclaim on his exit four minutes later.

Woolery was denied at the death from a Shamir Mullings assist.

In truth, Rovers weathered anything the Essex boys could muster to reach Wembley for the fourth time in their history as the fans celebrated on the pitch.

FOREST GREEN: (4-2-1-3) Russell 7, Bennett 8, Monthe 8, Ellis 8, Pinnock 8; Traore 9 (Wedgbury 72, 7), Cooper 7; Noble 7; Marsh-Brown 7 (Wishart 68, 7) Doidge 8 (Mullings 79,7), Woolery 7.

Attendance: 3,237

Dagenham fans: 495.

Star Man: Drissa Traore.