Troy Deeney criticises players after Forest Green let rare win slip at Salford

Posted Sunday, January 07, 2024 by PA

Troy Deeney expressed his anger as he was denied a first Forest Green win in a dramatic 2-2 draw at Salford, whose new manager Karl Robinson saw red in his first game in charge.

New Ammies boss Robinson was sent off 14 minutes into his Moor Lane bow to set the tone for an action-packed afternoon.

The hosts had handed their new head coach – who was appointed on Friday – a dream start through Matt Smith’s early opener.

But after his dismissal, Charlie McCann levelled before the interval and Mathew Stevens volleyed Rovers ahead with 20 minutes to go.

However, Salford were offered a late lifeline with a stoppage-time penalty, resulting in Ryan Inniss and Adrian Mariappa both being shown red, which Ryan Watson converted to end the hosts’ four-match losing streak and prolong Rovers’ winless run.

“I’m raging, angry, disappointed and all the above,” said Deeney, whose side were denied a first win since October.

“It’s the same story but a different day. 2-1 up, comfortable and it’s just poor from us.

“By no stretch of the imagination am I standing here defeated. It’s just the same mistakes keep happening and it just shows a lack of quality.

“We changed the manager because apparently it’s the manager’s fault, but it’s the players’ (fault). It’s not good enough.

“We need to be calm and collected in those moments and understand that we’re in control here. Fundamentally, we have to get better in winning positions.

“Whenever we make a change, we get weaker. They’re not focused sitting on the bench. It’s not clicking and it’s insanity if we keep doing the same thing.

“The only thing I can do now to change that is change the people.

“It’s disappointing. You either get one or the other where you work really hard and have no quality or you get loads of quality and don’t work hard.

“The positives are that we’re scoring goals, it’s just that the negatives are that we’re conceding goals and can’t see a game out.”

Despite their late reprieve, Salford’s winless run stretched to 11 league games.

Assistant Simon Wiles criticised the sending off of Robinson, who was deemed to have delayed the restart of play when Rovers had a throw-in.

“Everybody in the stadium was surprised (with the decision),” said Wiles, who stood in for post-match media duties.

“We couldn’t believe what had happened and it was very harsh.

“We were so bemused. He didn’t throw the ball away, there wasn’t any malice and he just picked it up and popped it to one side.

“From then, we just had to do everything that we could to make sure that we got something from the game.

“You’ve just got to look at the performance. The new gaffer’s been going on about being relentless and on the front foot and today epitomised that.

“From our side, we tried to replicate what he would want to see from us and the lads thoroughly deserved to come away from here with a point.

“We wanted to go for all three as well and that comes from the gaffer.

“Everything clicked early on, and the start of the game went exactly how we wanted it and the way the game ended, we’re glad we came away with something.

“We deserved more than a point from our energy, work rate and the relentlessness that we showed, but it’s definitely something to build on.”