Forest Green 1-1 Cheltenham - 25-Nov-2017 : Match Report

25 November 2017 17:19
Honours even after feisty Gloucestershire derby in Nailsworth

Forest Green and Cheltenham shared the spoils from their first-ever Football League meeting.

The Gloucestershire derby saw Forest Green nose ahead on eight minutes after a Jamie Grimes howler allowed Christian Doidge to beat Cheltenham goalkeeper Scott Flinders for his 12th goal of the season and seventh in five games.

Mo Eisa levelled things up in the 39th minute, making it 1-1 after former Rovers striker Danny Wright teed up the striker for his ninth of the season.

The first booking of the derby saw Cheltenham's Harry Pell go into the book for a high lunge on Rovers captain Lee Collins.

FGR suffered a blow at the break, the influential Isaiah Osbourne failing to recover from a knock.

Five minutes into the second half and Rovers were indebted to Brad Collins, the Chelsea loanee producing a stunning one-handed save to keep the scores locked as he repelled Eisa's point-blank stab at a Kevin Dawson cross.

Deep into stoppage time, Dawson's foul on Rovers substitute Omar Bugiel sparked a mass player brawl, with Cheltenham's Dawson and Joe Morrell booked, along with Bugiel.

Rovers' Jack Fitzwater was carried off on a stretcher following a clash of heads as the game drew to a close.

Source: PA