I TRAVEL badly. Suburban Surrey with its fake Tudor architecture, manicured gardens, trim unused tennis courts and three-car garages is far from my idea of England.

How can there be a football club here? The question becomes even harder when the rust and dust of the Woking press box is encountered.

Fortunately, I had warned Mrs Light and was not smartly dressed. (Are you ever? Ed.) All five of the travelling FGR press corps were warmly welcomed by the home journalists, less so by the club. We had just two team sheets between us and no programmes.

Our news that James Norwood had not travelled was met with incredulity and joy. ‘He is the one we can never contain’, ‘Even on the bench he is frightening’, were a couple of responses from the Surrey sages.

Manager Ady informed us our maverick was injured.

As so often lately Rovers started slowly, but this time they did not quicken up. Woking looked the more hungry side throughout with FGR being strangely subdued. The midfield missed the determined presence of Sinclair and the service to the forwards was limited.

The prolific Jon Parkin huffed and puffed throughout to no avail and wide men Frear and Guthrie were too easily subdued by the excellent Woking defence.

The defining moment of the game was a penalty. It was a penalty because the ref gave it, but he was one of the few people who knew why. Clough’s penalty area challenge was no more than clumsy.

Goalkeeper Arnold, as he usually does, dived early and to his left. Penalty taker Rendell had done his homework and bided his time before rolling the ball into the unguarded net.

Rovers never recovered and substitutions could not revive them. James Marwood’s day at Forest Green will surely come and Saturday would have been the occasion for a decisive dawn chorus, but there was barely a tweet. Like everyone else he found the Woking defence impervious.

One defeat since Christmas shows FGR to be on the right road, but it must be admitted by all concerned that Saturday’s was a poor, if isolated display.

The upcoming visit to Lincoln will be difficult. They have a fine home record. Presumptuously, I offer some selection advice.

Please involve Norwood, he is a game-changer; to omit him and include Fleetwood and Marwood would be wrong. Do that and start brightly – then anything can happen.