The Meadow (Brimscombe) Tuesday, July 9th, 2013   Hellenic Premier Attendance: 610         Brimscombe & Thrupp 0-6 Forest Green Rovers
2013 /14

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Fantastic ground huge banks behind the goal and down one side, lovely setting - hottest day of the year! Six goal Rovers produces positive start Forest Green’s pre-season plans got off to a winning start with a comfortable victory at local Hellenic Premier Division side Brimscombe & Thrupp, writes Richard Joyce. Three goals in each half ensured David Hockaday’s charges began their warm up campaign with the kind of intensity that made for an entertaining evening at one of Gloucestershire’s most pleasant settings for football. A brace apiece from James Norwood and Andy Mangan, plus further goals from Omar Koroma and a Brimscombe own goal, proved the difference between the two sides on a very warm evening. The majority of Rovers squad were given their first run out of the season with just Aarran Racine, Reece Styche, Anthony Barry, Kieron Forbes and Stephen Brogan sitting out while Marcus Kelly impressed in midfield featuring as a one of three trialists. Forest Green dominated from the start and managed to forge their first opening twelve minutes in as Norwood’s break down the left saw him produce a tame effort comfortably kept out by Brimscombe shot stopper Adam Thomas. Thomas was in traditionally fine fettle for the Lilywhites and he made an excellent double save to deny Norwood and then Matty Taylor minutes later as Rovers grew ever closer to finding the back of the net for the first time. It looked like they almost had when Taylor’s deflected edge of the box strike just past the quarter of an hour mark was tipped onto the underside of the bar by Thomas and bounced away. Brimscombe’s man in between the sticks could do nothing to prevent Rovers from taking the lead midway through the half however, as former Tamworth and Kettering Town man Kelly, produced a sublime through ball which Norwood fired into the net, with a little help from the woodwork. Ten minutes later and Rovers had their second as continued pressure forced Brimscombe into a mistake with James Tubbs the unfortunate party for the hosts as he diverted the ball into his own net. And Norwood capped a promising first half with a fantastic 25 yard strike that flew in to leave Rovers three goals to the good at the break. A new look Rovers stepped out for the second half and left off where their team mates had impressed earlier on as Omar Koroma side footed in a Chris Stokes cross from close range just moments after the restart. Ben Wright’s dangerous set piece delivery later on almost saw Jamie Turley rise to head in but just moments later Rovers had their fifth, as another Stokes delivery was headed in by Mangan, bagging his first goal in a Rovers shirt since July 2009. Koroma came close to bagging himself a brace when he met Wright’s wide cross with a powerful header which hit the back of the goal frame near the end. But it was instead Mangan who would net himself a double when the ball broke to the former Fleetwood Town man and he simply tapped in for a Rovers sixth.