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A return to the top, Jordan Moore-Taylor injury update and plaudits for players – Forest Green Rovers boss Steve Cotterill after Barnet draw

Steve Cotterill
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


Forest Green Rovers boss Steve Cotterill gave immense credit to the squad after a 0-0 draw against Barnet at home on Tuesday night.

Rovers’ 10th draw of the season takes them back to the top of the National League, also extending their league unbeaten run to 15.

“I suppose the bonus side of everything tonight is that the lads are a tinge disappointed," Cotterill said. "I just said to them, ‘you have just gone top-of-the-league’, they deserve a lot of credit.

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"That group of players, where they have lifted this club from, from a year ago. It has taken monumental efforts and sacrificing yourself for your teammates, they are a great bunch of lads. It is easy to say ‘I love them’ when we win, but I love them, they are great.”

Callum Stead offered a chance for Barnet less than a minute into the second-half which forced Jed Ward into pushing the effort over his crossbar.

Rovers began piling the pressure late on and were denied a penalty after a challenge on Joe Quigley inside the box.

“I haven’t looked back at it, but when I first saw it, I thought it was a penalty. I haven’t had time to look back at it, I am not sure about the performance tonight of the referee. I was really disappointed with him on lots of occasions.”

On the goalless draw, Cotterill said: “We were better in the second-half than we were in the first-half. I think that the change with Jordy (Jordan Moore-Taylor) didn’t allow us to get into what we wanted to do.

"We changed formation and I thought that was really difficult for them once we changed in the first-half. In the second-half when we could explain a little bit more about what we wanted, we were better in the second-half. We probably knew that they (Barnet) may have a little bit more of the ball than us which has been unusual of late.

"They are a dangerous team with good players, we knew that and as I have said before, ‘if you can’t win the game, then don’t get beat’.”

Jordan Moore-Taylor was replaced early in the second-half by Ben Tozer in an injury enforced change. On the centre-back, Cotterill said: “It looks like it might be his hip, he came over on the right-hand side and he opened the pitch up, I actually thought when it came to him that he was going to go back to Jed (Ward), now I wish he had have gone to Jed.

"I just said to the boys, ‘that is tough when you lose your captain’, Jordan has arguably been one of our best players for the last six weeks. We don’t want to lose him for too long, hopefully it is not too bad and we can get him back soon. I thought Ben Tozer was excellent, he is an experienced pro and a great lad, brilliant in the dressing room.”

Despite the refereeing decisions in the game, it gave Rovers’ fans that bit of a lift to criticise the calls by Dale Baines.

“Every time we go away from home, we come up against a partizan crowd. It doesn’t matter how many are there, we come up against it. When the crowd are noisier, do you see how our performance lifts? That is what happens, if we can get that noise off of the South Stand.

"We probably need to buy the drummer another set of arms so that when they get tired, he can put them on the side and put another set on and keep us going. I thought the support were good tonight and we just need that, the lads need that at the moment, that would be a big help to me as well.”

Rovers made two changes from the side that drew against Dagenham, bringing in Harry Cardwell and Harvey Bunker to replace Joe Quigley and Manny Osadebe. Despite Bunker starting in the midfield, he was moved to right centre-back after Moore-Taylor was forced off.

“It was really strange tonight, at the time, did I pick him or Manny for that midfield role? I deliberately went with Harvey Bunker there because I did wonder at any stage if we did have to change to a three, I already had a player out there without making a sub. That was on my mind when I selected this team.”

Rovers are next in action on Saturday in their final league home game of the month when they take on Rochdale (3pm kick-off).

Forest Green Rovers: Ward; Long, Inniss, Moore-Taylor (Tozer 26), Robson; Sercombe, May, Bunker; McAllister (Garrick 78), Cardwell (Quigley 65), Knowles (Osadebe 74). Subs not used: Searle, Lavinier, Doidge.

Barnet: Evans; Collinge, Olowu (Browne 71), Tavares, Kenlock; Kanu (Cropper 79), Hartigan, Shelton, Glover; Stead, Ndlovu (Brunt 86). Subs not used: Hayes, Grimwood, Clifford, Coker.

Referee: Dale Baines.

Attendance: 1,492 (164 away).