SKY BET LEAGUE TWO

FOREST GREEN 2

CRAWLEY TOWN 0

Forest Green made it five-straight home wins as they shocked  in-form Crawley Town.

With Crawley winning eight out of their last ten and Forest Green in rude health after four straight home wins, it was Harry Kewell’s side who were sickened as Rovers struck twice in the opening 24 minutes.

Patient play saw marauding right-back Dale Bennett arrow over a cross for Reuben Reid to get ahead of his marker and toe the ball beyond Glenn Morris for a 10th minute lead and his third for Rovers since his January switch from Exeter City.

Tails up, Christian Doidge spanked the post as Rovers turned the screw.

However, Jimmy Smith blew a great chance to draw parity for Crawley on 19 minutes. Afforded time and space, he fizzed into the body of Chelsea loanee Brad Collins.

Rovers made it two on 24 minutes. Isaiah Osbourne blasted through midfield to pick out Dayle Grubb, who tricked Lewis Young to drill the ball across the box for Doidge to get a touch over the line for his 21st goal of a productive season.

Rovers looked to kill the game off from the second-half get-go. Grubb was a whisker away from a 55th minute third. Picking the ball up on the edge of the box he curled a strike onto the top of the bar.

Five minutes later and the goal frame was rattled for a second time. Reid planted a header onto the post from a Haydn Hollis cross and he was denied by a superb Josh Yorwerth block on the line

Earlier, making one change from the draw at Morecambe last time out – boss Cooper brought Rotherham loanee Alex Bray back into the starting line-up. Dan Wishart dropped to the bench with Lee Collins returning to the squad following a sickness bug.

Forest Green: (4-4-2) Collins; Bennett, Gunning, Rawson, Hollis; Osbourne, Clements ( L Collins 72), Bray (Wishart 63), Grubb (Laird 90); Doidge, Reid

Subs not used: Belford, Simpson, Brown, Campbell

Crawley Town: ( 4-1-4-1) Morris; Young, Yorwerth, Connolly, Doherty ( Tajbakhsh 63); Payne; Boldewijin, Smith, Randall ( Evina 45), Ahearne-Grant, Roberts

Subs not used: McNerney, Bulman, Lelan, Sanoh

Referee: Andy Woolmer

Attendance: 2,346

Crawley fans:243

Star Man: Isaiah Osbourne

Next up: Forest Green travel to Crewe next Saturday, 3pm.