“It could end up being a good point for us” – Forest Green Rovers boss Steve Cotterill after draw at Southend United

Forest Green Rovers boss Steve Cotterill believes that Saturday's 2-2 draw at Southend United could be a valuable point come the end of the season, particularly with the windy conditions.

Goals from Harvey Bunker and Christian Doidge weren’t enough for Rovers in a topsy-turvy game as Nathan Ralph and Oli Coker cancelled out a lead twice.

“It could end up being a good point for us, it was an awkward game,” Cotterill said. “They got right behind their team that made it a difficult game and you stick the weather on top of it and it was one of those games.”

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Rovers opened the scoring 40 minutes into the game when a well-worked move found Jamie Robson for a great cross for Bunker to head into the Southend net, which took his league tally to four for the season.

Robson nearly added a second for Forest Green four minutes later when he was found through on goal, but his lobbed effort went narrowly over the crossbar.

The Shrimpers were back level after 63 minutes when Gus Scott-Morriss’ long throw-in missed all of the defenders and found Ralph to tap home easily.

Rovers found themselves back ahead 10 minutes later when Teddy Jenks’ run down the left saw him fire the ball across goal which eventually found Doidge.

Coker made the game level once more after a run down the left from Josh Walker saw a great ball played into the box.

Bunker grabbed his third goal in three games at Southend. On Bunker’s recent performances, Cotterill said: “That is good for him, I am pleased for Harv because he obviously has not been in the team from the start of the season, so we are pleased with that.

"Funnily enough, he ended up scoring the goal probably at the right time and arriving there, whereas I felt a couple of times in the first-half he was slightly too high. It was a really good finish from him and that was one of the many good moves that we had in the first-half.”

The draw makes it eight unbeaten in the league for Rovers. Having gone on a run now, Cotterill said: “I have said to the boys since I came in, ‘if you can’t win, don’t get beat’, we ended up with some good blocks at the end, I know they hit the woodwork and we hit the woodwork, it is one of those games.”

Doidge took his league goal tally to eight after coming off of the bench and scoring just minutes later.

“It is good for Doidgey,” Cotterill said on his performance off the bench. “I think that the times that he has come off the bench, he has had a big impact. It didn’t quite go as well for Cards (Harry Cardwell) today as we would have hoped.

"That would have been another thing that would have made it that they (Southend) would have been up for the game today because Cards is now in our stable, they wouldn’t have wanted him to come back here and have a good game.

“When you are making those decisions, making that decision first of all to play him, you hope it is going to go well for him, if it doesn’t go how you want it to go or how you hoped it would go for him, I thought he was being smothered out today of everything. He is very happy with where he is and we are delighted to have him and he has done well for us so far this year.”

Blustery conditions played a large part in the game, with both teams feeling the full force. Having changed major parts of the game, Cotterill said: “Some of those gusts when you go out another 50 metres or so it is a difficult game, the minute I saw the weather forecast leading up to this weekend, it isn’t a day where you like the wind because it can be a leveller.

“In the first half, the only thing that would slightly disappoint me is we probably didn’t make the most of our good opportunities, but other than that, the boys are great and I love them and we will move onto the next one.”

The result brings Rovers back down to second on goal difference after York City’s emphatic 4-0 win over Yeovil Town.

Rovers’ next game is on Wednesday night at home against Halifax Town in the National League (7.45pm kick-off).

Southend United: Andeng-Ndi; Taylor, Crowther, Ralph; Scott-Morriss, Coker, Miley (Husin 78), Morton, Bridge (Bonne 57); Pepple (Waldron 76), Walker. Subs not used. Jeacock, Moncur, Appiah-Forson, Wind.

Forest Green Rovers: Ward; Long, Tozer (Inniss 68), Moore-Taylor, Robson; McCann, May, Bunker (Quigley 82); McAllister, Cardwell (Doidge 68), Knowles (Jenks 68). Subs not used. Searle, Lavinier, Osadebe.

Referee: Ryan Atkin.

Attendance: 6,725 (151 away).