Forest Green Rovers 4 Northwich Victoria 1 (From Northwich Guardian)

Forest Green Rovers 4 Northwich Victoria 1

12:00pm Wednesday 10th October 2007

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VICS were floored by rampant Rovers.

Dino Maamria's men were lucky not to be on the receiving end of a cricket score as Forest cut them down to size with an impressive display.

In the end they settled for four goals.

Vics' stand-in boss sprung a surprise by playing himself as a central midfielder, remodelling his defence to a line of three. It made them more porous than usual.

Rovers hotshot Stuart Fleetwood danced past Ben Connett to score the opener on six minutes, leaving Josh Wilson stricken flat on his face after the unlucky defender lost his footing.

When Connett pushed Mark Beesley's snapshot against the post five minutes later, it was an ominous signal of things to come.

The same player rounded Vics overworked keeper on 25 minutes but, with the goal at his mercy, he rolled the ball straight at the waiting Wilson who hacked clear.

Skipper Chris Giles' thumping header crashed back off the crossbar from Paul Stonehouse's resulting corner.

Connett was brilliant to claw Fleetwood's volley out of the top corner from Rovers next raid, although the linesman's flag meant it was academic.

The procession of chances continued.

Fleetwood was next to sprint clear from Simon Clist's clever assist but the Blue Square Premier top scorer fired straight at Connett as Vics custodian narrowed the angle.

The visitors stirred from their stupor soon after.

Brad Maylett, playing in a free role behind front pair Kevin Townson and Paul Tait, swapped passes with Ryan Brown only to shot weakly at Ryan Robinson when well placed.

The duo combined again within a minute, this time Maylett's sliced shot was off target.

Robinson was finally forced to make a save from sub Michael Welch's fizzing free kick, but he was comfortable tipping the ball past the post.

Half time was the calm before the storm.

Lee Dodgson, tormentor in chief of poor Brown all night, slid a pass through to Beesley and he curved a rising shot past Connett within two minutes of the restart.

Fleetwood's fantasy almost earned him a stunning second five minutes later, his first time chip from Dodgson's pass arced over Connett and on to the top of the crossbar.

Giles then sliced in Townson's drilled centre to stun the home supporters as Vics saw a glimmer of hope.

Maamria introduced Lee Steele in a bid to capitalise, but the holes in his defence were not shrinking in size.

Fleetwood shrugged of Wilson's flimsy challenge to spring clear on 73 minutes and, despite his initial shot bouncing back off Connett, the ball cannoned back over the line after hitting the lucky front runner.

When your luck is out, it's out.

It took two minutes for the hosts to extend their advantage.

Fleetwood, a player of genuine class, feinted past Richard Battersby before slicing a pass through to midfielder Jonathan Smith to score his first for the club with an angled shot.

Robinson parried Townson's free kick low to his right and blocked another from Welch in injury time, but by then the contest was long over.

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STAR MAN: 16-Kevin Townson - Sheer persistence and relentless workrate meant he deserved more than being on the end of a 4-1 thrashing
FGR (4-4-2): 1-Robinson (GK), 4-Jones, 5-Giles, 12-Preece, 3-Tonkin, 22-Dodgson (23-Carey-Bertram 68), 8-Clist, 20-Smith, 19-Stonehouse (11-Hardiker 67), 7-Beesley (9-Rigoglioso 67), 14-Fleetwood
Subs not used: 25-Burton (GK), 6-Pitman Goals: 14-Fleetwood 6, 73, 7-Beesley 47, 20-Smith 77
Booked: 5-Giles (foul)

VICS (3-5-2): 1-Connett (GK), 26-Tunnicliffe (4-Welch 34), 22-Wilson 5-Strong, 15-Battersby, 18-Maamria, 8-Carr, 17-Maylett, 14-Brown, 19-Tait (23-Steele 64), 16-Townson
Subs not used: 12-Murphy (GK), 21-Johnson, 30-Coward
Goal: 5-Giles (own goal) 58

Referee: Andrew Rodda (Devon)
Attendance: 859 (30 from Northwich)

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