New Lawn: New Expectations

Ten points from the opening month of the season has given Forest Green fans an unlikely sense of optimism that the club can buck recent trends and launch a credible push for promotion.

Three wins and a draw, including an excellent win at York and a convincing performance in earning a draw against early season pace-setters Torquay, has earned Rovers their best ever start to a Conference season.

Since taking over as manager in September last year, Jim Harvey has managed to orchestrate a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the Gloucestershire club.

Desperate to avoid a relegation battle the same season the club moved into its new £3 million plus New Lawn stadium, the Forest Green board acted quickly in replacing former manager Gary Owers after a disastrous eleven match winless start to last season.

Harvey, who was sacked from Morecambe the previous May after a heart attack had kept him off the sidelines for six months, was quick to drastically reverse the fortunes of the struggling side and eventually earn a very creditable 14th place finish.

With a mixture of youth and experience, Harvey has put together a squad consisting of a significant amount of Conference and Football League experience.

Now, sensationally, the "little club on the hill" look capable of mounting a realistic bid for promotion.

Before Torquay scrambled home a controversial equaliser at the New Lawn on Monday, Harvey's men enjoyed an exhilarating 59 minutes at the top of the Conference table. Their highest ever league placing.

Since promotion to the Conference in 1998, Rovers have generally struggled towards the bottom of the table, putting together a miraculous late run to avoid almost certain relegation on more than one occasion.

But with Harvey's 12 years of managerial experience at Morecambe now at the table, including promotion from the Northern Premier League and a second place finish in the Conference, expectations amongst club officials and fans alike look set to increase beyond simply being happy to avoid the trap door every season.

However, with Forest Green now looking to consolidate their position amongst the Non-League elite, serious questions surrounding the sustainability of any impeding success will need to be answered.

Although the club has seen average attendances virtually double since their Conference debut, they still fall some way short of the crowds enjoyed by their league rivals. Despite the odd bumper crowd for a visit from the likes of Torquay, Exeter or Oxford, support amongst the population of Nailsworth still has a tendency to drop below four figures.

Rovers can take comfort from the fact that both Dagenham & Redbridge and Accrington have achieved promotion on the back of mediocre support, but the chances of rural Gloucestershire sustaining another Football League outfit looks doubtful.

Nevertheless the Forest Green board have certainly made their intentions clear and won't be deterred by hypothetical problems. After almost a decade of gradual progress on and off the pitch, Rovers are finally looking to set their targets higher.

And with Jim Harvey at the helm, the top of the Conference will be forced to take them seriously.

Simon Downes