Forest Green v Barnet: first game in the league

bbc.co.uk

One could say last season was one of tactical transition for both Forest Green Rovers and Barnet.

The Nailsworth club moved away from the rigid principles of Aidy Pennock and towards a more fluent philosophy adopted by Mark Cooper. The Bees had a similar change of direction when manager Martin Allen left for Eastleigh and Rossi Eames came in, his spells sandwiched by Kevin Nugent’s forgettable stint.

The Bees fell from eighth when Allen left, level on points with the play-off places, to 15th, some 13 points adrift. They added 10 new players in that time, which perhaps made cohesion difficult. Centre-backs Ricardo Santos and Charlie Clough, who moved from FGR, were arguably the only players to impress, though fans remain willing to let other winter recruits prove themselves after a full pre-season.

It is fair to say though that systematic changes were easier for ‘The Little Club on the Hill’, who enjoyed a very competitive budget at National League level. They added midfielders with pedigree at a higher level in Liam Noble and Drissa Traore, who both showed signs of maturity last term.

Goalkeeper Sam Russell returned to The New Lawn a reformed player and on Saturday, he will be protected by experienced campaigners. Steady left wing-back Scott Laird will hope to keep Jamal Campbell-Ryce quiet, while the back-three has a bigger challenge.

New centre-backs Lee Collins and West Brom loanee Jack Fitzwalter, along with Manny Monthe, must contain the division’s joint-top scorer from last season, John Akinde. The ex-Alfreton striker, who netted in an encouraging friendly victory over Millwall, looks settled at The Hive for family reasons despite reports linking him elsewhere.

Other intriguing battles come elsewhere. With Curtis Weston potentially out for the visitors, their midfield will have the youth of Jack Taylor and the technical qualities of Ruben Bover. The Spaniard is good on the ball, has an impressive passing range and can deliver an accurate free-kick, even if he was taken off early in last week’s disappointing 3-1 defeat to Concord Rangers.

The nature of Barnet’s midfield could suit Reece Brown, who tends to prefer the more technical contests. He showed talent as a teenager at Birmingham and based on the types of players Cooper developed at Swindon, is right up his manager’s street.

Brown is at times criticized of being a luxury player, similarly to Keanu Marsh-Brown, but the latter scored 10 goals in 22 starts last term and can produce moments of real quality. With an enthused home crowd watching their team play in the Football League for the first time ever, Forest Green should enjoy their moment.

The Football Lab’s Verdict: 2-1

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