Grimsby Town 1 Forest Green 0 - full time
GRIMSBY TOWN 1 FOREST GREEN 0
NATHAN Pond's 63rd minute goal inflicted a first defeat of the season on Forest Green, who have been knocked off the top of the Blue Square Bet Premier.
The Mariners were grateful to James McKeown for preserving parity, the keeper plunging to his left to beat away a fizzing free-kick from Ben Wright.
The early throes of the second half were played at a lethargic tempo, and it was almost a shock to everyone's system when Frankie Artus swung over a free-kick from the right and Pond leapt above Russell amid a crowd scene to open the scoring.
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Dave Hockaday responded by hauling off Wright and Al Bangura – much to the latter's obvious annoyance – and introduced Omar Koroma and James Rowe.
But it was fellow substitute Matty Taylor who twice threatened to level, firing at McKeown after a solo run before striking the side-netting from a tight angle on 82 minutes.
Joint Grimsby manager Paul Hurst had to watch the final three minutes from the stands after a touchline altercation with Ed Asafu-Adjaye, echoing last season's ill-tempered clash when Rovers assistant Gary Seward was similarly banished.
But the home dugout were celebrating at the final whistle, which came after McKeown pulled off a smothering save to deny James Norwood.
See Monday's Citizen for Peter Orchard's match overview and match reaction.
Comments
by Chrisgump2011
Tuesday, September 11 2012, 9:19AM
“Good man! I will assume you'll be wearing a white and black striped carnation and eating our fish and chips!”
by BeefyKeefy
Monday, September 10 2012, 9:21PM
“Just a bit of banter....Oh and I'll have that pint thanks”
by Chrisgump2011
Monday, September 10 2012, 9:33AM
“You have me wrong Beefy. I've always enjoyed our games against Grimsby and met some good guys on Saturday.
Fact is, we were unlucky - I did not make up the stats - and still felt we did enough to win , even if it was not our most fluent performance. But goals win matches and the delivery and execution of the winning goal was perfect.
You can only beat who you are lined up to play and every team goes up and down in form (note Luton's result against Alfreton and Grimsby's at the start of the season. For the record, our first game was against Cambridge who had signed loads of players and were expected top be front runners, and we drew at Gateshead who were up there last year and unbeaten when we played them.
Grimsby scraping a last minute 2 - 2 at winless Barrow balances beating us on Saturday don't you think? Have to say that whilst we have a good defence, Town lacked any sort of creativity and were pretty toothless up front. Right or wrong? And MoM was chosen by your sponsors I think - the goalie - which says a bit
Anyhow, good luck over the coming weeks. Look forward to entertaining you on 23rd March - hopefully with promotion still at stake for us both. If you come down, I'll buy you a drink at the Green Man!”
by BeefyKeefy
Sunday, September 09 2012, 1:29PM
“A bad loser then gump....I think you went to a different game to me.You won't win this league, not good enough. FGR have yet to beat any of the top teams in this division UTM”
by Chrisgump2011
Sunday, September 09 2012, 12:28PM
“We were bound to lose sooner or later, but this match was a travesty. Rovers controlled the first half and the Grimsby keeper pulled off 4 excellent saves from goal bound shots. Grimsby were contained to one loopy off target header and not a single corner. In the second half, a fortuitous free kick led to their only on target attempt of the match - a superb delivery, header and goal. At the other end we spurned 3 one on one opportunities. Grimsby's keeper was announced as their man of the match which says everything.
Fortunately, most of Rovers' nearest rivals faltered, notably Luton thrashed by our opponents next Saturday, Alfreton. Nailsworth's Goal Medal rower, Peter Reid, will be there in person to celebrate with the crowd, so don't miss the chance to salute him at the New Lawn”