Alex Roll Over Against Bottom Side Rovers

A brace from Jordon Garrick helped bottom-of-the-league Forest Green Rovers defeat Crewe Alexandra at the Alexandra Stadium yesterday.

Manager Lee Bell made 4 changes from Good Friday’s 0-0 draw at Gillingham with Lewis Billington, Matus Holicek, Chris Long (who took the captaincy) and Charlie Kirk came in for Ryan Cooney, Lewis Leigh, Aaron Rowe (who all dropped down to the bench) and Conor Thomas. Former Alex loanee Sean Robertson was not involved for the visitors.

The game’s opening chance came in the 12th minute as Emmanuel Osadabe fired over from distance before the visitors took the lead a couple of minutes later as Christian Doidge dispossessed Ed Turns on the halfway line and fed Garrick to score through Tom Booth’s legs. Long would have an effort cleared off the line on 19 minutes from a Josh Austerfield cross before the lead was doubled 6 minutes later as a Dominic Thompson corner was headed goalwards by Ryan Inniss with Garrick getting the final touch from close range.

The third would also come before the half-hour mark as Charlie McCann’s cross was headed home by wing-back Jamie Robson before Billington had to clear off the line to keep the score to three 10 minutes before the break – Turns and Austerfield were both subbed off for Cooney and Leigh at this point (the former limping off).

Into the second half, as half-time sub Rowe would fire across the goal wide of the target before a Kirk cross found Nevitt whose header was saved by Vicente Reyes on 55 minutes. Kirk would be the next player denied at the Gresty Road End as he volleyed a Leigh cross off the bar and post into the arms of Reyes before Kirk found Rowe with a cross with Reyes making another save.

The next couple of games see the Alex travelling to Accrington Stanley on Saturday before travelling to Morecambe the following Tuesday.

Final Thoughts:

It was a shocking first half that saw the team in a formation that was confusing to those of us watching the game with Shilow Tracey starting as a wing-back over Cooney after the latter’s last couple of games being amongst his best for the club and starting Holicek as well as 4 forwards in front of him, which may have worked with a more defensive option alongside Matus in the midfield like Offord or Thomas, rather than starting with a midfield three of Austerfield, Holicek + 1 (probably Leigh with the players that were in the matchday squad for this game).

Crewe Alexandra				Forest Green Rovers
				Garrick (2), Robson
Booth				Reyes
Billington				Inniss
Turns			35	Keogh
Demetriou				Moore-Taylor
Adebisi				Thompson
Austerfield			35	Osadebe			90
Holicek				McCann			90
Tracey				Robson
Kirk			77	McAllister			64
Long			46	Doidge			90
Nevitt				Garrick			64
Substitutes
Davies				Searle
Cooney			35	Bernard
Williams			77	Maddox			90
Leigh			35	Omotoye			64
Rowe			46	Dabo			90
Woodcock				Bunker			90
Agius				Jones			64

Game Statistics
22	Goal attempts	9
5	On Target	6
8	Corners	2
11	Fouls	9
3	Yellow Cards	3
0	Red Cards	0
72	%	28