Following Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw with Ebbsfleet United, Forest Green Rovers manager Steve Cotterill believed that the team needed a little piece of luck to fall for them.
Rovers earned a point from a goalless match, although there were numerous opportunities to find a winner in the closing minutes.
Regarding the lost opportunities, Cotterill remarked, “There are times when it just doesn’t work out for you and we have had a few chances.” “We just need it to get those guys firing again because they have all got chances and haven’t taken one. The attackers need one to go in, whether it is off someone’s backside or a deflection. It’s not only about them; other players have also had opportunities, and right now we just need a little bit of support.
Ebbsfleet could have been ahead just two minutes before the break when a ball fell to Toby Edser in the middle of the box, but his effort was put over the crossbar.
Within a minute of the second half starting, Rovers had an opportunity as Kyle McAllister got free quickly and forced Mark Cousins to make a low save.
When Josh Passley was discovered in lots of space after 68 minutes, he had a fantastic opportunity for Ebbsfleet, but Rovers got a tremendous block in for Fabian Mrozek to gather.
Ryan Inniss had a chance to put Rovers ahead late on when his headed effort was gathered well by Cousins for Ebbsfleet.
Joe Quigley had a massive chance just a minute later which pushed Cousins to dive well to his right to force it behind for a corner.
On the draw, Cotterill said: “Overall, I thought the performance was better than Saturday, that I suppose is a start because we had to start and finish the game better than we did on Saturday. You are not all of a sudden going to turn it around, this is an awkward venue.
“They might be down at the bottom of the table; they have made it very difficult here for teams. I watched their last game, they scored a perfectly good goal and should have gone 1-0 up in that game, that result may have ended up slightly different. I think in the second-half, they like kicking to their end I would probably say territorially for 30 minutes in the second-half.
“I don’t think Fabian (Mrozek) has had to make as good a save as their goalkeeper made at the end from Harry’s (Cardwell) header and Joe’s (Quigley) shot. So, we could easily be stood here and talking about a 2-0 win.”
Brandon Fleming came in for his first start after signing for the club on loan from Hull City last week.
“Bear in mind he has only just met the guys, I thought he did really well tonight,” Cotterill said on his debut. “I just took him off at the end there, we needed a little bit of freshness. I thought him and Jamie Robson were really good down that side and I am sure that he will do well for us between now and the end of the season.”
Ebbsfleet had a few chances of their own to find the lead and were difficult to break down defensively.
“What happens with that formation that they play, it ends up being 5-4-1 and what you what to do is break that if you can early. We had a couple of balls where we put some really good crosses in, in the first-half and we didn’t get on the end of it or we didn’t quite make the right run and I think that the strikers will know the runs because we do it time and time again. There is a little bit of disappointment, not in them, but for them from me when I know those movements.”
Rovers are next in action when they host Woking on Saturday in the National League (3:00pm kick-off).
With the tight turnaround, Cotterill said: “It doesn’t matter how much time we need because you have got what you have got. I think it has been a tough old season for our boys, there is always a lot of expectancy on them. I don’t know if after where the club has been if even I expect too much sometimes off of them.
“They are a good group, they work hard for each other, I keep working with them and keep trying to improve them. I think they want to do that themselves as well, they are really disappointed in there and there were some tired legs in there.”
Rovers stay in third place with the draw and seven points off leaders Barnet after they defeated York City 3-1 in a top-of-the-table clash.
Ebbsfleet United: Cousins; Dallison, Olagunju, Stewart; Passley (Chapman 84), Bolger, Edser, Moncur, Lankshear; Thomas (Cosgrave 66), Bingham (Domi 66). Subs not used: Covolan, Aoraha, Samuel, Manktelow.
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