Football Season Guide

Forest Green flirted dangerously with relegation all season last year and should have been relegated after losing their final game to direct rivals Tamworth but for the unexpected defeat of Southport at Kettering that had kept them up. It was a little bit of history repeating itself as the year before Forest Green lost a last-day decider at Grays and were officially relegated but the demise of Salisbury kept them in the division. Dave Hockaday was kept on the job both times but he knows well that he has not done as well as he can with Rovers and the upcoming season represents a real chance for him to make a breakthrough. The manager was given more financial freedom in the summer with owner Dale Vince granting funds for a more expansive squad rebuilding and the hopes are that this season Forest Green will be at the very least sitting comfortably in mid-table and not fretting over their status in the league. Hockaday will grab this chance and want to make sure that he succeeds after he was given the benefit of the doubt in the summer. The big signing for Rovers is former Premiership player Al Bangura who arrives from Azerbaijani side Gabala where he played under Tony Adams. The midfielder lost his way after his breakthrough at Watford but will be hungry to get his fitness back and move up the ladder in English football. Chris Todd and Jamie Turley are quality additions at the back and Hockaday will be banking on them forming a good understanding with James Bittner as the trio played together at Salisbury two years ago. James Rowe was signed up after a successful trial and looked a real prospect in the games he played. One feels that the quality is still not there for Rovers to meet the objective of a top-half finish but they definitely have too much of it to be embroiled in another relegation battle.