Rovers fail to weather the storm
AS WOEFUL as the weather, Forest Green were made to pay the price for a first-half horror show against Stevenage on Saturday.
An early goal from Boro striker Lee Boylan proved to be the difference between the two sides, although Rovers were a clear second-best to their high-flying opponents on a wet and wild afternoon at the New Lawn.
With heavy rain falling incessantly throughout the afternoon, the best of the conditions were to be had early in the game and it was the visitors who exploited the slick, rather than sodden surface.
They drew first blood in the seventh minute when Andy Drury made room on the right edge of the penalty area and his floated cross was nodded home at the far post by Boylan.
Boylan, playing in a three-man frontline with Chris Beardsley and Yemi Odubade, was at the heart of most of Boro's good work in tearing the Rovers back four apart for most of the first half.
However, they were unable to add to their early goal, only Beardsley tested Terry Burton, shooting weakly after good work from Boylan down the right.
Odubade shot over from distance in the 22nd minute and forced Burton to rush off his line and clear two minutes later as Boro looked to make the game safe before the pitch became saturated,
Chris Beardsley headed wide on the half-hour mark and then set up Boylan with a delightful flicked reverse pass eight minutes later, only for Boylan to fire over when well placed to do better.
Finally Rovers managed to force an effort on goal, and it was Conal Platt, the hero of Tuesday night's Cup win at Mansfield, that forced their one and only shot on goal in the first period.
His thunderous 20-yard free-kick had Chris Day beaten but thudded against the inside of the right-hand post and away to safety.
Rovers boss Dave Hockaday rang the changes at half-time, sending on Paul Stonehouse and Oli Thorne in place of Curtis McDonald and the beleaguered Joe O'Cearuill, who was having a miserable afternoon at the heart of the Rovers defence.
It had little effect as from their first attack Stevenage should have made it two after more woeful defending allowed an unmarked Beardsley to thump a header on to the right hand upright from Drury's long free-kick.
Stevenage hit a post again in the 56th minute with a thunderous effort from right-back Ronnie Henry from 30 yards beating Burton and again skidding to safety off the woodwork.
Rovers' second and final shot of the afternoon arrived just a minute later when David Brown took aim from distance, but saw his effort fly wide of Day's left-hand post.
As the pitch became more and more saturated by the incessant rain, both sides struggled to pass the ball through the surface water and the game became increasingly scrappy.
Hockaday threw new loan-signing Ben Joyce on for his debut late on, but neither he nor Sean Rigg, who was playing the last game of his three-month loan spell, could force a clear cut opportunity as Stevenage held on for a deserved win.
Forest Green Rovers: T Burton; J Hodgkiss, M Preece, J O'Cearuill (O Thorne 46), C McDonald (P Stonehouse 46); D Brown, C Rocastle, C Platt (B Joyce 79), J Smith, D Powell; S Rigg. Subs not used: T Pass, D King.
Stevenage Borough: C Day, S Laird, M Roberts, M Bostwick, S Laird; A Drury (E Oduiambo 56), D Murphy, J Byrom; Y Odubade (P Vicenti 72), L Boylan (M Cole 80), C Beardsley. Subs not used: A Bayes, M Albrighton.
Referee: M Haywood (Cheshire)
Attendance: 757 (110 from Stevenage)
Star man: Paul Stonehouse – Surprisingly left out of the starting line-up but at least showed some endeavour as a second-half substitute.
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