Power replaced the injured Woods for today’s game against Forest Green. Otherwise, we were unchanged.
The match could not have got off to a worse start. Leon Redwood broke through and scored after just 33 seconds, stunning our fans into silence.
Marques and Park had shots cleared off the line in the 10th minute, and it looked like we were set for an impending equaliser.
Then Marques played a horrendous pass across his own penalty area. Redwood beat Gowling to the ball, drilling it past our hapless keeper. Two goals down after 17 minutes, we were in all kinds of trouble.
We rallied well. Shuker thrice set up Barnes-Homer, but the striker couldn’t put his shots on target. Then Smith and Bore combined to give Power a chance, but the midfielder’s header was too soft. Olembé set up Smith for another chance soon after, as we took control of the match.
Power finally pulled one back in the 41st minute from the penalty spot, calming placing his shot past the keeper.
We came out just as strong in the second half. A strong cross from Olembé in the 48th minute bounced off a defender into the woodwork. Shuker responded instantly, and looked likely to reach the ball first, but Jamie Strong tripped the winger. Penalty, said referee Russell Fletcher. Power stepped up again and buried the ball into the bottom left corner.
Barnes-Homer had a goal disallowed for offside in the 63rd minute, as we pressed for the lead. Then Tommy Wright climbed above our defenders to head a corner in and reclaim the lead. I was distraught, but we still had time to turn the game around.
On came Laurent and Nutter for Smith and Park. Fresh legs and a different approach would surely make the difference, I thought. I was right. Shuker set up Laurent for the equaliser in the 70th minute, and the Frenchman made no mistake.
Forest Green lucked out again on 75 minutes when an Assombalonga free kick snuck in beneath the cross bar, restoring their lead once again.
Olembé headed just wide in the 79th minute; we desperately sought another equaliser. But it wasn’t to be, and Forest Green hung on for the 4-3 win. We were shocked and devastated, having come from behind twice—once with a two-goal deficit. We dominated the match and the possession, but the curse of the five-man midfield struck once again.
We failed to adequately handle the few chances the opposition had, and they punished us for it. We were unlucky and they were lucky, but they shouldn’t have been given the chances in the first place. It was our first defeat in the league in 14 matches.
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