LIFE is tough at the top and for the first 15 minutes at Exeter on Saturday it was very tough for Forest Green Rovers, writes John Light.

Home side Exeter City hit us hard and the game looked like being a rout. However, Rovers dug in and could have drawn a hard fought game. Head coach Mark Cooper spoke wisely to Ash and the waiting media and said nobody needed to press the panic button. Of course he is totally correct. We were top of the league going into the game and we saw in the Coventry cup tie the quality in the squad and that will be needed with games coming thick-and-fast.

Quality of course is not everything. The right to play has to be earned. Our team found that out the hard way on Saturday. Let us hope it is a lesson they never forget. Injuries could become a concern. Kevin Dawson, Dayle Grubb, Matt Mills and now Lewis Thomas who failed to appear after the break at Exeter following a heavy landing . The one that concerns me most is Liam Shephard. His pace makes him an asset in defence as well as attack. A groin injury can mean anything. His return must be well managed. The good news of the week was the performance of Vaughn Covil, 16. He took his chance well against Coventry City and did enough to warrant a place on the bench for the first time against Exeter.

We as a crowd can help our team by maintaining our good form of the Crawley game. Green Army!