FOREST GREEN ROVERS 2 PORT VALE 3

Nine-man Port Vale were pushed to the wire after Forest Green staged a monumental second-half response.

Mark Cooper’s side looked dead and buried as Vale led 3-0 with three minutes to go until two late red cards put the game on ice with Forest Green captain Carl Winchester pulling a goal back from the penalty spot on 77 minutes and then planting a header home in the fifth-minute of added time.

Mitchell Clark was shown a straight red for Vale when sliding in on Liam Kitching with three minutes to go and two-goal Tom Pope joined him in the 96th-minute for catching Ebou Adams.

Despite their rally, Rovers fell to their fifth consecutive home loss.

Vale opened the scoring on 14 minutes. Joe Worrall’s corner dropped to Shaun Brisley, who rifled into the roof of Scott Logan’s net Vale made it 2-0 with eight minutes of the first-half to go. Rovers’ striker Matty Stevens passed the ball inadvertently to Worrall who picked out Pope who finished clinically.

Pope had appeared to have killed the game on 70 minutes, smashing home a penalty after Adams upended Mitchell Clark from behind.

Adams won a penalty back for Rovers on 77 minutes under a challenge from Luke Joyce and Winchester struck from the spot.

With Vale down to nine, Winchester struck again in the fifth-minute of injury time, glancing in and Elliott Frear cross.

Opting to start with two players up front, Rovers were at it from the get-go, putting Port Vale under the cosh. Josh March broke forward to fizz a strike that former Cheltenham Town keeper Scott Brown did well to palm away with the unmarked Adams crying out for the pass. Rovers were creating – Frear digging out a cross which Matt Stevens headed wide of the mark.

Rovers really needed to make their chances count, but their brittle confidence was frazzled as Vale turned the screw. Pope saw his stab cleared off the line by Winchester, but sixty-seconds later and Vale got their noses ahead on 14 minutes. Rovers failed to react when Joe Worrall’s corner dropped to Brisley who rifled home into the roof of Scott Logan’s net..

Birmingham City loanee Odin Bailey limped off on 23 minutes to be replaced by six-goal Jack Aitchison.

Rovers almost found themselves 2-0 down on 29 minutes – Cristian Montano fizzing wide of the bottom corner.

Rovers pressed the self-destruct button. Stevens inadvertently passed to Worrall who picked out Pope to finish with aplomb with eight minutes of a wretched first-half to go.

Stevens almost atoned for his glaring error as his stoppage-time header was turned onto the bar by Brown.

Cooper more than likely turned the proverbial hairdryer on at the break and they started with greater purpose.

Rovers lost Bernard on the hour – the right-back appearing to go down with cramp, Kevin Dawson taking his place.

The admirable Winchester forced Brown into a scooped save on 65 minutes as they looked to find away back into the game.

Pope killed the game on 70 minutes, smashing home a penalty after Ebou Adams upended Mitchell Clark from behind.

Adams earned a penalty on 77 minutes under a challenge from Luke Joyce and Winchester pulled a goal back from the penalty spot.

Rovers were at it, but Farrend Rawson contrived to hook over the bar with just Brown to beat from a Frear assist.

With six minutes of added time, Frear floated a cross over for Winchester to nod in a 95th minute second for Rovers. Vale went down to nine in the final minute of added-time as Pope caught Adams.

Rovers have won just two of their last 17 games and now travel to Oldham Athletic on Saturday.

FOREST GREEN ROVERS: Logan, Bernard (Dawson 61), Rawson, Winchester, Stevens (Collins 75), Adams, Frear, Kitching, March, Stokes, Bailey (Aitchison 23)

Subs not used: Thomas, Williams, Hall, McGinley.

PORT VALE: Brown, Clark, Legge, Brisley, Montano, Burgess (Oyeleke 76), Joyce, Conlon (Atkinson 71), Worrall, Pope, Browne

Subs not used: Maddison, Cullen, Smith, Evans, Bennett.

Star Man: Carl Winchester

Attendance: 1,615

Away fans: 215

Referee: T Kettle