Shaq Forde makes damning confession after marking Bristol Rovers return with superb Lincoln goal

There couldn’t have been a more popular goalscorer for Bristol Rovers on Saturday against Lincoln City than Shaq Forde. The 20-year-old forward had endured a tough fortnight, all sparking as a result of a red card against Reading.

The wide man picked up two avoidable yellow cards at the Select Car Leasing Stadium as the Gas went on to lose 1-0, although they produced their best performance of the campaign on that afternoon.

Sure, it was a poor moment for Forde who has since apologised and moved on. However, what followed was completely despicable and unacceptable.

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That evening the deadline day arrival from Watford posted a screenshot of a message he’d received on Instagram that included a monkey emoji while adding that that wasn’t the only example of racist abuse that had found its way into his message requests that evening.

Rovers responded with a strongly worded statement with this not the only incident of discrimination towards players that the club has had to deal with this term. However, what truly captures the grim reality of the state the game is still in in late 2024 is the fact that, as he walked down the tunnel at Reading, Forde already expected what would await him on his phone.

“When I was walking off after I got sent off, I already had a feeling that it was going to happen,” the 20-year-old confessed. “It's just not nice to know that that could happen, for getting sent off but I had a feeling it would happen.

“I was more angry that it still can happen in this day and age but I had a feeling it was going to happen and then, literally after that day, I was like, it's happened, I'll just move on to the next.

“I was more worried about my family and how they would react because it's never happened to me before,” the Rovers forward added. “I was upset for my family to have to know that there's someone going through that and their loved ones going through that. But, for me, obviously I was angry in the moment, but other than that I was fine.

“Unfortunately, it is part of the game. Obviously, I know the club's done a lot to try and make sure it doesn't happen again. But, obviously, it's part of the game unfortunately at the moment.”

In response to the incidents that have occurred already this season, a number of supporters joined forces to put together flags with anti-racism messages to hang over the West Stand with the summer arrival adding: “I really appreciate the majority of the fans getting behind me and showing me the support. It was a really nice touch to have those banners there so I appreciate it.”

Forde did get on the pitch just three days after his red card, coming on as a substitute against Exeter City with the Bristol Street Motors Trophy its own entity in regards to suspensions, before serving the one-game ban for the FA Cup win over Weston-super-Mare.

The way fixtures fell meant that he was available for the following league game after Reading and, as he was up until his sending off, the 20-year-old was again Rovers’ most dangerous forward against Lincoln.

After a largely drab opening half hour, the game needed a moment of brilliance to spark it into life - step forward Shaq Forde.

Deployed on the right, the wide man sneakily nicked the ball off of Reeco Hackett, drove towards goal and curled a decent finish into the bottom corner from just outside of the area.

Although Rovers couldn’t get the crucial second goal and went on to draw 1-1, it was still a battling display against a side expected to be up there in the league table come May. They may be still experiencing some inconsistencies, but the general feeling is that this team have turned a corner in recent weeks and, according to Forde, there’s still plenty of optimism within the group that this can be a successful campaign.

“It's definitely been inconsistent at the moment,” the 20-year-old admitted. “I feel like we've got a lot of potential in this group. I think hopefully around the top ten mark would be great for us, especially as a new team with a lot of signings this summer. I feel like top 10 would be a great marker for us.

“We've got a lot of potential. We've got great quality in the side. I feel like we just need to get some consistency with our performances and then I think we'll be flying.

“It is kind of difficult to begin with,” Forde added when asked what it’s like to play with so many new players. “Obviously the recruitment team have done a great job because they're all great people. Everyone's great people. So it's not difficult to get along with the players. It's more just understanding your new teammates’ attributes and how to get the best out of them while trying to also get the best out of yourself as well in a new system with a new manager.

“A lot of us haven't played under the manager. So [we’re] trying to learn his ways and also kind of stick to our ways, what makes us and then trying to gel with a load of new players. It's hard, but I feel like once we get the hang of it, we'll be flying.”

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