FOREST GREEN are in a relegation battle. Poor away form is dragging them down.

Rovers are on the road again on Wednesday to Exeter. Fans will have travelled 728 miles in support of their team at considerable expense.

This is not the time to look for villains. The 107 who went to Carlisle are true heroes. I have been with then on many occasions (Gateshead, Grimsby, Dover) and it has been a privilege.

They are the beating heart of the club. Players and managers may come and go, but these true loyalists are here for the duration. They are wise enough to know every match will be tough and some may be lost, but always deserve a fighting performance.

More often they get one. I am sure they did on Saturday, but the shot statistics suggest otherwise. I am not suggesting a gung-ho approach but more penalty area pressure is needed to win matches. It worked against Cambridge.

I was at the Corinium Stadium and saw an impressive Cirencester display. In addition I became a total convert to artificial pitches. Instead of the players sliding about we saw a fast-flowing game.

Add that to the usual warm welcome and it was a good afternoon. It had been a good morning. Mrs Light had entrusted me with the weekly shop and completing this arduous task there was the opportunity for a meeting with a veteran of so many local pitches.

Gordon Stratford is one of the true cotswold sportsmen I grew up with and hopefully learned something from. He would have loved the Corinium surface. The beaches of Barbados are calling, back mid-February.