Forest Green Rovers F.C.

Forest Green Rovers

Full name	Forest Green Rovers Football Club
Nickname(s)	Rovers The Green FGR The Little Club On The Hill Green Army The Lawnmowers
Founded	1890 (as Nailsworth & Forest Green)
Ground	The New Lawn Nailsworth, Stroud (Capacity: 5,147)
Chairman	Dale Vince
Manager	Dave Hockaday
League	Conference National
2010–11	Conference National, 20th
Home colours Away colours

Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.

History

Early years

The club was founded in 1890 as Nailsworth & Forest Green by the local Non Conformist Church minister. The club would go on to become founder members of the Mid Gloucestershire League in 1894. The club moved to the newly formed Stroud & District League in 1902 where they remained for 32 years, also playing in the Dursley & District League. Rovers won the Dursley & District League in 1903 and this was the club's first ever silverware. They were founder members of the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League in 1922 alongside Cheltenham Town and the club were to win the league three times in 1938, 1950 and 1951.

In 1926 Rovers home ground, the Lawn Ground, was officially enclosed and a decade later the committee members at the club bought the field for £120 at an auction.

Post Second World War period

In 1968 they were founder members of the Gloucestershire County League where they remained for seven seasons with an average finishing position of 6th. Former Arsenal number six, Peter Goring became the club manager and in his eleven year spell the club earned promotion to the Hellenic League in 1975.

The Vase Win & Stroud FC

The 1981–82 season saw the club win the Hellenic League championship and the FA Vase under manager Bob Mersell at Wembley, beating Rainworth Miners Welfare 3–1 in the final. The same season the club moved upwards into the Southern League where they finished third in their maiden season in the Midland Division.

However in subsequent seasons the club failed to make much of an impact, and in 1989 the club changed its name to Stroud F.C. in an attempt to revitalise the football club. This highly opposed move failed to improve the club's fortunes and the club struggled seriously both on the pitch and with the clubs finances.

Back to Forest Green

The name was changed back to Forest Green Rovers for the 1992–93 season thanks to the introduction of new chairman and investor, Trevor Horsley. The arrival of Horsley changed the fortunes of the club and performances on the pitch improved significantly as did the development of The Lawn.

Promotion to the Conference

The club appointed Frank Gregan as their new manager in 1994 and the club enjoyed two successive promotions in 1997 and 1998 to the Conference National. In the club's first season in the Conference they finished 12th. A run to the final of the FA Trophy saw them lose 1–0 at Wembley Stadium to Kingstonian. The appearances in the Trophy final made Forest Green the first club in history to have appeared in both the FA Vase final and FA Trophy final. They went on to appear in the FA Cup First Round for the first time, defeating Guiseley 6–0 to set up a home tie with Torquay United, which they lost 3–0.

Conference years

Frank Gregan left the club and former England international Nigel Spink was appointed manager and he led Rovers to another appearance in the FA Trophy final in 2001. However another 1–0 defeat, this time to Canvey Island at Villa Park meant Forest Green finished as runners up for a second time.

Rovers recorded their second best ever league finish in 2003 under Colin Addison of 9th as well as an appearance on Match of the Day in the first round of the FA Cup where they drew 0–0 at The Lawn with Football League side Exeter City.

In 2002 the club put forward a planning application for a new ground 400 yards up the road from The Lawn that would come under Football League standards. Permission was granted for the ground to be built in 2005 and in 2006 the club moved in to The New Lawn with a visit of Swindon Town in a pre season friendly being the first game played at the ground.

Then manager, Gary Owers, was then sacked by the club and he was replaced by Jim Harvey. Harvey led Forest Green to 14th in his first season with the club. He then led Rovers to their highest ever league finish of 8th in the 2007–08 season and the club also reached the FA Cup 2nd round where they lost in a tight match, 3–2 against League One outfit Swindon Town. In 2008–09 they reached the FA Cup 3rd round for the first time but lost 3–4 to Derby County on January 3, 2009 after leading 2–0. This game also saw Forest Green record their highest ever attendance with 4836 watching the match.

In March 2009, still under Harvey, Forest Green reached the Conference League Cup final having defeated Ebbsfleet United 1–0 at Stonebridge Road to set up a final clash at the New Lawn with AFC Telford United. However despite having most of the chances Rovers lost the game in front of over 2,300 supporters and a Setanta Sports television audience on penalties 0–3 after it had finished goalless at full time.

Jim Harvey left the club at the start of the 2009–10 season and was replaced by Dave Hockaday. Forest Green reached the FA Cup 3rd round again the following season and were drawn away to Notts County in the third round. The tie was postponed due to freezing conditions meaning Forest Green would be in the fourth round draw for the first time in their history. The fourth round draw saw Forest Green draw Premier League side Wigan Athletic, although Forest Green then lost 2 -1 to Notts County on 19 January 2010 at Meadow Lane.

Rovers 12 year stay in the Conference Premier ended on the 24th of April 2010 when they lost 2–1 to Grays Athletic and were relegated from the Conference Premier. However, on 10 June, they were reprieved after Salisbury City were removed from the division for breaking financial rules. During the season Forest Green chairman, Trevor Horsley, revealed the club was in serious debt and he described the clubs position as a "crisis".

Green energy tycoon and Ecotricity owner Dale Vince launched a takeover of the club in August 2010 and Vince became the clubs majority shareholder and then chairman a few months later. Forest Green made national headlines in February 2011 when Vince introduced a ban on all red meat being sold at the club.^[1]

At the end of Vince's first season in charge of the club Rovers secured another season of Conference football for the 2011–12 season, despite losing to Tamworth on the final day. The club stayed up on goal difference and will now compete in the Conference for a fourteenth consecutive season.

Colours and crest

The previous club badge was very similar to the F.C. Barcelona badge. The flag of St. George appeared on both badges, showing his links to England as well as Catalonia. The club's home shirt is the traditional black and white kit. When playing away from home the club wear an all green kit.

In December 2010 chairman Dale Vince publicly announced his consideration that for the 2011–12 season the club would introduce a pink away kit and in May 2011 the club released a consultation for supporters inviting opinions on the clubs decision to change its badge. The new badge has been finalised and is being rolled out in time for the 2011/2012 season.

Stadium

Forest Green play at the New Lawn in the hamlet of Forest Green, a short distance away from Nailsworth and 400 yards from the clubs former ground, the Lawn Ground, which had been home to the club since it was founded in 1890, and remained little more than a field until the club's continued progress demanded a series of upgrades from the 1950s. This included terraces, famously partial levelling of the pitch, the Trevor Horsley Stand and new Barnfield Terrace sponsored by Rockwool, the latter two being moved to the new facility in 2006.

The New Lawn

At the start of the 2006–07 season, Forest Green opened The New Lawn. The Rockwool Terrace is at the north end of the ground and is named after one of the clubs sponsors. This particular terrace is the location for Rovers fans and is a standing terrace. The Western Thermal Stand is the largest capacity stand at the ground and is a seated stand that contains seven boxes, the 'Green Man' public house, conference and meeting facilities and a host of leisure facilities. The away fans are housed in the EESI stand, which was completed halfway through the 2007–08 season. The stand is seated and can house between 500–600, and was originally the Trevor Horsley Stand, which was taken from the Lawn. The eastern side of the ground is an open terrace available to home fans. Although the stadium can hold 5,147 fans, the highest league attendance was 3,021 against Oxford United. However the highest all time attendance was 4,836 for an FA Cup third round tie at home to Championship side Derby County. The usual attendance is between 700–1,200 for Conference fixtures and around 500–1,000 for cup fixtures.

In April 2009 the ground hosted the Conference League Cup final, broadcast live on Setanta Sports.

In June 2011 the club began work on making the pitch at the ground the first organic football pitch in the world. This was influenced by the chairman, Dale Vince.^[2]

Rivals

• Shortwood United
• Gloucester City
• Cheltenham Town

Current squad

As of 22 November 2011.

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK James Bittner 2 DF Jared Hodgkiss 3 DF Chris Stokes 4 MF Wayne Turk (on loan at Salisbury City) 5 DF Jamie Turley 6 DF Chris Todd 7 MF James Norwood 8 MF Yan Klukowski 9 FW Reece Styche 10 FW Charlie Griffin 11 MF Kieron Forbes 12 DF Jeffrey Imudia 13 GK Matt Bulman

No. Position Player 14 FW Matty Taylor 15 DF Callum Henry 16 DF Luke Graham 17 MF Curtis McDonald 18 MF Chris Allen 19 MF James Rowe 20 MF Al Bangura 21 MF Jake Thomson (on loan from Kettering Town) 22 DF Eddie Oshodi 23 FW Michael Uwezu 24 FW Liam Henderson (on loan from York City) 30 GK Jonathan Bond (on loan from Watford)

Coaching staff

• Dave Hockaday (manager)
• Gary Seward (assistant manager)
• Kevin Phillips (goalkeeper coach)
• Timothy Ivan Grigg (physio)

Managerial History

Dates	Name	Notes
1955-1956	Bill Thomas
1957-1958	Eddie Cowley
1958-1960	Don Cowley
1966-1967	Jimmy Sewell
1967-1968	Alan Morris
1968-1979	Peter Goring
1979-1980	Tony Morris
1980-1982	Bob Mursell
1982	Roy Hillman
1983-1987	Steve Millard
1987-1990	John Evans
1990	Jeff Evans
1990-1991	Bobby Jones
1991-1992	Tim Harris
1992	Glen Thomas	Caretaker Manager
1992-1994	Pat Casey
1994-2000	Frank Gregan
2000-2001	Nigel Spink & Dave Norton
2001-2002	Nigel Spink
2002-2003	Colin Addison
2003-2004	Tim Harris
2004-2005	Alan Lewer
2005-2006	Gary Owers
2006-	Paul Wanless	Caretaker Manager
2006-2009	Jim Harvey
2009	David Brown	Caretaker Manager
2009-	Dave Hockaday

Records and statistics

• Best league position: 8th in Conference (level 5), 2007–08
• Best FA Cup performance: 3rd round, 2008–09, 2009–10
• Best FA Trophy performance: finalists, 1998–99 and 2000–01
• Best FA Vase performance: winners, 1981–82
• Best Football League Trophy performance: 1st round, 2003–04
• Biggest defeat: 0–7 Cambridge United 5 September 2009
• Best Setanta Shield performance: runners up, 2008–09

Honours

• FA Vase winners 1982
• Southern League Premier Division champions 1998
• Southern League Southern Division champions 1997
• Hellenic League champions 1982

Notable former players

Person	Forest Green Rovers Record	Claim to Fame
Kayode Odejayi	2001, 2002-2003 44 games, 14 goals	Went on to become a full Nigeria international and played for Barnsley, Cheltenham Town and Colchester United among others.
Stuart Fleetwood	2007-2008 41 games, 28 goals	Went on to be signed by Charlton Athletic and also played for Brighton & Hove Albion, Exeter City and Cardiff City among others. Former Wales under 21 international.
Tony Daley	1999-2002 67 games, 6 goals	Former England international with 7 caps who signed for the club after time spent at Aston Villa in the Premier League as well as Watford and Wolverhampton Wanderers among others.
Nigel Spink	2002-2002, 14 games, manager	Former England international and European Cup winning goalkeeper with Aston Villa who both played and managed Forest Green and led the club to the 2001 FA Trophy final at Villa Park.
Alan McLoughlin	2002-2003, 12 games, 0 goals	Former Republic of Ireland international who had previously played for Portsmouth and Manchester United among others before joining Forest Green.
Leon Cort	2000-2001, 12 games, 0 goals	Guyana international who joined Forest Green on loan from Millwall and went on to play in the Premier League for the likes of Burnley and Stoke City.
Stuart Slater	2000-2001, 21 games, 1 goal	Former England under 21 international who played in the Premier League with West Ham United and in the Scottish Premier League with Celtic. Also played for Ipswich Town, Watford and Leicester City before joining Forest Green.
Des Lyttle	2004-2005, 36 games, 0 goals	Former Premier League defender who played 36 league games for Forest Green and featured in the 2004-2005 FA Cup run. Had previously played for West Bromich Albion, Nottingham Forest and Watford among others before joining Forest Green.
Paul Warhurst	2005, 6 games, 2 goals	Former Premier League and England under 21 international defender who scored twice in a short six game spell on non contract terms in 2005. Had previously earned a Premier League winners medal with Blackburn Rovers.
Dennis Bailey	1999-2001, 60 games, 9 goals	Played 60 league games for Forest Green following a career that had involved spells with the likes of Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City. Once scored a hat-trick at Old Trafford against Manchester United and remains the last player to do so in a league game.
Guy Madjo	2005-2006, 24 games, 9 goals	Scored 9 goals in 24 league appearances for Forest Green before going on to earn a call up to the Cameroon squad in spells following Forest Green with the likes of Shrewsbury Town and Guangdong Sunray Cave.
Jonathan Hayes	2006, 4 games, 1 goal	Spent one month on loan at Forest Green from Reading and has gone on to spend time with Leicester City in the Championship and Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Premier League.
Christian Edwards	2006-2007, 9 games, 0 goals	Former Wales international defender who joined Forest Green for a short spell following a career involving the likes of Swansea City, Nottingham Forest and Bristol Rovers.
Ryan Harley	2005, 3 games, 0 goals	Spent a short time on loan at Forest Green from Bristol City and has gone on to play for the likes of Swansea City, Exeter City and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Gary Owers	2002-2003, 2005-2006, 50 games, 1 goal	Former player and manager at Forest Green who had previously played for the likes of Sunderland and Bristol City and has gone on to become the assistant manager at both Aldershot Town and Bristol City.
Mark Cooper	2001-2002, 48 games, 12 goals	Played in 48 league games for Forest Green after a career with the likes of Hartlepool United and Birmingham City. Went on to become a manager with the likes of Peterborough United and Darlington.
Sean Rigg	2009, 16 games, 7 goals	Former youth team product at Forest Green who moved to Bristol Rovers and then returned to the club on loan in 2009 and scored 7 goals in 16 appearances.
Ronnie Radford	1975	Scorer of the giant killing goal that knocked Newcastle United out of the FA Cup in 1972 whilst playing for Hereford United. Ended his playing career with Forest Green.
Alex Meechan	2001-2003, 2003-2004, 2005-2007, 199 games, 46 goals	Three separate spells at Forest Green where he made 199 league appearances and is Rovers highest ever Conference goal scorer. Played in the Football League with the likes of Bristol City and Chester City.
Alex Sykes	1996-2000, 2001, 2001-2004, 245 games, 52 goals	Former England Futsal international who made 245 league appearances for Forest Green and featured in the 1999 FA Trophy final at Wembley. Had three separate spells at Forest Green which involved two promotions through the Southern League.
, Andrew Mangan	2008-2010, 41 games, 26 goals	Striker who scored 26 goals in 41 league appearances in the 2008-09 season earning himself the Conference National golden boot award. Had played in the Football League for Accrington Stanley and Bury and has gone on to play for Wrexham and Fleetwood Town.

Forest Green Rovers Ladies

Forest Green Polar Bears are members of the South West Combination Football League. The team have enjoyed a number of successful cup runs in previous seasons which including facing FA Women's Premier League opposition in the FA Women's Cup. In the 2007–08 season Rovers reached the fourth round of the competition but were knocked out by Liverpool L.F.C. and similarly the next season Rovers reached the fourth round again however were knocked out of the competition by Leeds Carnegie L.F.C..

References

1. ^ "Burgers banned at football club". BBC News. 10 February 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-12416671. Retrieved 10 February 2011. 
2. ^ "Forest Green Rovers spread manure on pitch". BBC News. 15 June 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-13776435. Retrieved 15 June 2011. 

External links

• Official Site
• Club Statistician Site
• Audio interviews, news, match reports
• Forest Green Rovers at the Football Club History Database
• Forest Green Rovers Supporters Trust