SKYBET LEAGUE TWO

FOREST GREEN 2

MORECAMBE 0

Forest Green leapfrogged Morecambe to surge out of the bottom two as goals in each half from Keanu Marsh-Brown and Scott Laird made it three wins on the spin for Mark Cooper’s side.

Rovers ended a five-game losing sequence at the New Lawn to post only their second win at home and their first since August.

Rovers, who celebrated two years as the only vegan football team in the world, picked-off the Shrimps of Morecambe.

Buoyed by back-to-back away wins, boss Cooper named an unchanged team and his bench included a fit again Manny Monthe. Sam Russell and Dan Wishart missed out with slight knocks.

Rovers were caught cold from the kick-off. Morecambe striker Vadaine Oliver powered through to fizz his strike into the chest of keeper Brad Collins.

Rovers’ DNA is all about passing the ball to feet and the twinkle-toes of Reece Brown were beginning to sparkle. Keanu Marsh-Brown has gold dust in his boots and his quick feet allowed Drissa Traore the opportunity to spank one wide from the edge of the box. Aaron Wildig followed suit for Morecambe as the game swung from end-to-end.

Morecambe came close to breaking the stalemate, but Rovers had West Brom loanee Jack Fitzwater to thank, his lunging clearance off the line got Rovers out of jail on 21 minutes, when Aaron McGowan got in behind Scott Laird. A minute later Oliver found space in the box to direct his close range stab onto the post. The tempo had certainly raised. Rovers’ Alex Iacovitti let fly from 35 yards, but his fizzer sailed over.

The deadlock was broken on 30 minutes as Marsh-Brown exchanged passes on the edge of the box with Isaiah Osbourne and the maverick Rovers’ man rushed into the box to fire the ball under the advancing Barry Roche.

Play was held up when Morecambe keeper Roche collided with his own post following a corner. Roche ended up flat on his face, but despite looking shaken he managed to see the first-half out.

Morecambe’s Luke Conlan saw yellow in first-half stoppage time for a rash lunge on Brown.

Morecambe came at Rovers after the break, but Cooper’s side have become a tough nut to crack and the Shrimps’ cause wasn’t helped when Roche was forced off on 63 minutes to be replaced by sub keeper Daniel Nizic. A minute later Nizic was picking the ball out of his net from a skidding Laird free-kick.

Cooper introduced Monthe and Bugiel with 12 minutes to go, the excellent Marsh-Brown and Traore making way.

The outstanding Brown almost capped a great day for Rovers when he saw his curler clip Nizic and the bar with five minutes to go.

Forest Green: ( 3-5-1-1) B Collins; Iacovitti, Fitzwater, L Collins; Laird, Traore ( Bugiel 78), Osbourne, Bennett, Brown ; Marsh-Brown (Monthe 78); Doidge

Subs not used: Pickering, Roberts, James, Randall, Gomes.

Attendance: 2,515

Away: 183

Star Man: Reece Brown