SKY BET LEAGUE TW0
EXETER CITY 0
FOREST GREEN 0
FOREST GREEN'S Boxing Day clash at Exeter City was abandoned at half-time due to a waterlogged pitch.
Referee Brett Huxtable inspected the pitch before kick-off and deemed the St James's Park playing surface playable, but as players struggled to keep their feet during a rain-soaked first-half, the match official conducted a second inspection at half-time and abandoned the game.
Following an abject showing against Carlisle on Saturday, boss Mark Cooper made a raft of changes in an attempt to halt a three-match losing sequence.
Callum Evans came in from the cold to replace the injured Dale Bennett, starting his first game since the opening day of the season.
Free from suspension, Manny Monthe replaced West Brom loanee Jack Fitzwater. Reece Brown returned from injury and Luke James joined Christian Doidge up front. Meanwhile, Keanu Marsh-Brown and Drissa Traore drop to the bench.
A fast and furious opening in Tsunami style conditions saw Rovers start with confidence. Doidge curling one from the edge of the box to produce an acrobatic stop from Christy Pym after Isaiah Osbourne had teed him up.
Third-place Exeter had the ball in Rovers’ net on two occasions but the offside flag spared any early Rovers’ blushes.
Rovers were indebted to Brad Collins’ speed of thought on 27 minutes. Jordan Moore-Taylor slipped beyond Charlie Cooper, but the alert Chelsea loanee dashed off his line, us-ing his chest to frustrate the Exeter captain.
In worsening weather, Dean Moxey saw yellow for pulling back Evans on a gluepot of a pitch with six minutes of the first-half to go.
Rovers were showing plenty of Christmas spirit and Wishart stepped on the gas to fizz a strike into Pym who failed to gather cleanly, but Jordan Tillson cleared the danger.
Forest Green: ( 3-5-2) B Collins; Laird, L Collins, Monthe; Wishart, Cooper, Osbourne, Evans; Brown; James, Doidge
Subs not used: Pickering, Fitzwater, Marsh-Brown, Traore, Stevens, Simpson, Roberts
Attendance: 4,107
Away fans: 230
Star Man: Scott Laird. Mopped things up at the back.
Next up: Saturday, December 30 Lincoln City V Forest Green, 3pm.
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