Two Forest Green Rovers Supporters Talk To Vital Lincoln City

The last time The Imps hosted tomorrow afternoon’s opponents Forest Green Rovers was on Saturday 3rd November 2018. The Imps won 2-1 that day, in front of a crowd of 8,542. John Akinde fired City ahead in the 8th minute assisted by Harry Anderson, but Reece Brown made it 1-1 just four minutes later with his low strike beating Josh Vickers. In the 72nd minute, Shay McCartan found substitute Kellan Gordon in the six-yard box to secure all three points.

Ahead of tomorrow’s match, we have done a Q&A with two Forest Green Rovers supporters, so thank you to Jonathan and Paul for answering our questions. The answers have been published on two pages. To get to the second set of answers, press “Click here for the next set of answers!” at the bottom right of the page, or click HERE.

You can discuss what has been said in this article HERE, as well as many other topics on our 100% Imps forum! We have also published a Lincoln City v Forest Green Rovers Quiz, which can be found near the bottom of the page. Every page view helps raise money for Lincoln City Football Club!

First up, the answers provided by Jonathan:

How long have you supported Forest Green Rovers?

My first Rovers game was just over 15 years ago when we were still at the old ground down the hill. The first couple of seasons it was just an occasional game but then the bug caught and I have been a season ticket holder for almost a decade.

Where did you finish last season?

Eleventh place in Division Two.

What do you think of your Manager?

I think it is fair to say that Mark Cooper is like Marmite. He has done a few things that have frustrated me, from time to time it appeared that he had only one tactic and would never make changes if it wasn’t going to plan, however this season we do seem capable of mixing things up a bit. It is hard to argue against a manager who has let the team to promotion from the Conference and then the play-offs in our second season in the league, with a repeat performance not being beyond the realms of possibility in our fourth season.

What are your hopes and expectations for the 2020/21 season?

Hopes and expectations are difficult at this time, given the global situation, so maybe I can split my answer into two parts. For football as a whole, I hope that all of us, whichever club we might support, are able to continue doing so by the time we get to next season and that our club has survived. For my club, other than survival, it would be nice to challenge for at least the play-offs. Expectations, sadly I don’t think every club will survive in its current form and my fear is that we may have another season that is brought to an early conclusion by the virus.

One(s) to watch?

Two young defenders, Liam Kitching and Udoka Godwin-Malife, who play on either side of a back three. Both are extremely confident on the ball, despite their youthfulness, and keen to venture up the pitch at any opportunity. I think we may struggle to hold on to both of these players for the long term and I can see them playing at a higher level than Division Two.

Which teams you think will finish in the top seven in League Two?

Difficult this season as we have already seen, and felt ourselves, the impact of positive COVID tests and how missing players can weaken a team. For some, it has already resulted in postponed fixtures and a backlog building up. If you had asked me before the season started I would have gone for Exeter, Bolton, Bradford for automatic promotion, with Cheltenham, Newport, Salford and ourselves making the play-offs.

Which teams do you think will finish in the bottom two in League Two?

Grimsby and Mansfield.

What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?

We seem to have developed a bit of a rivalry in the last few years, which is odd given that geographically we are miles apart, but I guess it is down to fighting for promotion at the same time. I think it is hard to argue against your success, the club raised its profile to a completely new level with the run in the FA Cup and to its credit used that as a springboard to promotion. It will be interesting to see if that can be sustained, this season has already started extremely well for Lincoln, Championship bound…maybe! (See you there in a couple of seasons to renew the rivalry)

What do you think the score will be?

Hard to predict, a game between two teams who are going well in their respective leagues, it will probably depend on who wants it most…safe to say that Grant Holt is not my favourite person at the moment, for fumbling the balls and giving us the hardest fixture possible from those last four available…this is a game that could make it all the way to penalties, either of us could win that lottery.

Random fact about your Club?

Our current ground, at 165m above sea level, is the second-highest in England at which professional football is played. We are only beaten by West Brom, whose home comes in at 168m.

If you could steal one Lincoln City player for your own team, who would it be and why?

I can’t really claim to have much knowledge of the current Lincoln squad, we had Theo Archibald on loan and he was OK, your captain Liam Bridcutt is a decent player…perhaps I can reserve judgement until after we have played each other.

What are your proudest and most embarrassing moments as a Forest Green Rovers supporter?

Proudest moment is probably promotion to the Football League, walking up to the ground during our first season and seeing the name Coventry City as our opponent had the hairs standing up on the back of my neck, even better as we beat them…I couldn’t believe how far we had come, playing a competitive game against a team who had won the FA Cup in recent memory, not bad for a village team.

I wouldn’t say that my team has ever caused me any embarrassment as I am generally proud of everything we are trying to achieve, particularly raising the profile of green and environmental issues.

Who would you say is your most underrated player?

I would say it is club captain Carl Winchester, not the most vociferous but clearly leads by example, and we seem to be missing something when he isn’t on the pitch. I can see why Cheltenham fans were so aggrieved when we secured his services.

Do you have a Supporters Trust and what role do they play at the Club?

We do, they raise money for different initiatives at the club, in particular supporting our Women’s team. The thing we are really proud of is our school ambassador scheme, pupils in local schools who raise the profile of the club, and encourage families to attend games.

Which was your favourite match involving Forest Green Rovers?

Play-off Final at Wembley at the end of the 16/17 season, where we beat Tranmere to secure promotion to the Football League.

Which was your least favourite match involving Forest Green Rovers?

This is an easy choice for me, it was Grays Athletic away on the last day of the 09/10 season where we needed something from the game to avoid relegation from the Conference. We lost 2-1 and the feeling was worse than anything I have experienced in several decades following football, it was only the expulsion of Salisbury City for financial irregularities that saved us from relegation. The club really were struggling at that stage, on and off the pitch, and I don’t think we would have survived relegation in our current form. The following winter Dale Vince arrived on the scene and, although we still struggled on the pitch and narrowly avoided relegation once again, life hasn’t been the same since.

Do you have a Former Players Association at Forest Green Rovers?

Not that I am aware of.

What is the best thing about Nailsworth?

It is such a picturesque place to watch football, I think it is a bit of a culture shock for many of the teams and supporters who come to play against us.

Don’t you think Cooper has outstayed his welcome by now and if so, who would you like to replace him?

I don’t think that teams generally prosper if they change their manager every ten minutes, there are plenty of examples to show that it can be a negative, just ask Leeds fans. I am happy with him as manager and don’t think he has outstayed his welcome, ultimately it isn’t my decision whether he should be replaced, Dale seems to be a backer rather than a sacker. Can’t think of anyone I would rather have as our manager.

Are your new stadium plans realistic or just too hopeful?

I would like to think they are realistic; we are past the planning stage, it remains to be seen whether it will be delivered or when. Dale’s wish is to develop an Eco Park, for green industries, beside the football ground but I think those plans are currently on hold.

If your club was a vegetable, what kind would it be?

I would say it is a Brussel sprout, green and multi-layered, not to the taste of everybody but you know they are good for you…my only fear is that after Christmas they are generally forgotten about.

Have a go at our Lincoln City v Forest Green Rovers Quiz below:

The second set of answers:https://t.co/pefV9EKXwy#ImpsAsOne #ProudToBeImps #FGRFC pic.twitter.com/gaxb0zGWPI

— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln1) November 6, 2020