Ian Burchnall praises young Forest Green side after victory over Accrington

Posted Wednesday, September 07, 2022 by PA

Manager Ian Burchnall praised his young Forest Green side as Josh March’s 80th-minute winner saw Rovers halt a three-game League One losing run as they claimed a narrow 2-1 victory over Accrington.

Ravaged by injury, Rovers finished the game with four teenagers and handed a league debut off the bench to academy graduate Harvey Bunker.

Burchnall said: “We finished the game with four 19-year-olds and one 20-year-old, so with the injuries we have, that’s magnificent. Christian Marquez (19) came in from Wolves on Friday and was outstanding.”

The former Notts County boss hailed the impact of Chelsea loanee Bryan Fiabema, who teed up March’s winner with his first touch.

He added: “I spoke to people in Rosenborg about him and you aren’t a bad player if you are at Chelsea – he had a positive impact but I’m not sure about his hair cut.”

Tommy Leigh’s 76th-minute strike appeared to have handed Accrington a point before livewire March swept in a ball from Fiabema.

Earlier, Reece Brown’s first-half opener gave Burchnall’s side the lead eight minutes before the break as he swivelled on the edge of the box to thunder a strike into the bottom corner of Lucas Jensen’s goal from a Myles Peart-Harris assist.

Sixty seconds into the resumption of the second-half – Ryan Atley fired the ball over with just Luke McGee to beat as John Coleman’s side looked for a quick response.

Stanley equalised with 14 minutes to go. Mitch Clark weaved his way into the box for Leigh to sweep home.

Four minutes later, the hosts regained the lead. Substitute Fiabema, with his first touch since coming on, squared the ball for March to pounce for Rovers’ second win of the season.

Deep into stoppage-time Accrington boss Coleman was booked for leaving his technical area and trying to grab a ball back from a ball boy.

And the frustrated Accrington boss said: “The ball boy should have been dismissed from the side of the pitch. The referee said he’s going to report him but what good is that to us? All I was trying to do was get the ball back and get the game going.

“It’s all about scoring goals. They scored two and we scored one.

“We were comfortably in control of the game, but we’ve got no cutting edge at the moment. We’re blunt.

“You’ve got willing lads who’ll run themselves into the ground, but we’re missing quality. We’ve got to start working goalkeepers.

“They were low in confidence tonight, but they worked hard and sent their fans home happy.

“We’ve got to start keeping clean sheets.

“I’m not travelling overnight anymore. Every time we go away from home and stay overnight, we get beat.

“I’m scratching my head at the moment.”