Get the lowdown on the U’s next opponents: Forest Green Rovers

The Opposition

Sutton face a side that supporters will be all too familiar with on Tuesday night, having been relegated from League Two alongside Forest Green Rovers last season.

Known for being the world’s first ever fully vegan club, the Green entered a period of uncertainty after their demotion was confirmed last term, with the club returning to the National League after seven years as an EFL club, and even dealt with back-to-back relegations after rising as high as League One in 2022. While promotion under then-manager Rob Edwards saw them reach the peak of their 136-year history, his departure to Watford seemingly kick-started some turbulence in the dugout, with the Gloucestershire-based outfit since being guided by six different managers, including Ian Burchnall, Duncan Fergison, Hannah Dingley, David Horseman and Troy Deeney.

A dismal end to the latter’s run as player-coach and later manager sparked Owner and Chairman Dale Vince to bring an experienced boss into the hotseat at The New Lawn, and thus saw Steve Cotterill take charge midway through last season. While the 60-year old was unable to save the club from the drop zone, he has since built a squad full of quality and experience for the fifth tier, and has overseen the Green battle at the top end of the National League table alongside current leaders Barnet and fellow promotion hopeful York City.

Led by star men Kyle McAllister, Christian Doidge and Charlie McCann, Forest Green have enjoyed a positive start to life back in non-league, and with their quest for an instant return to League Two, added the likes of Harry Cardwell, Adam May, Tom Knowles, Ben Tozer and Joe Quigley to their ranks in the summer, before being followed by additional reinforcements during the winter window in the shape of Cian Harries, Fabien Mrozek, Brandon Fleming, Luke McCormick and Jordon Garrick.

Cotterill has subsequently seen the club continue mounting their push towards promotion, with the club currently sitting third in the division.

Recent Form

York City 1-1 Forest Green Rovers

FC Halifax Town 2-1 Forest Green Rovers

Forest Green Rovers 2-0 Maidenhead United

Forest Green Rovers 1-1 Woking

Ebbsfleet United 0-0 Forest Green Rovers

Braintree Town 2-0 Forest Green Rovers

The Manager

Steve Cotterill

Steve Cotterill has racked up plenty of experience since hanging up his boots, with the turn of the year seeing him go one year shy of two decades in management.

A former striker, Cotterill turned out for a handful of clubs after coming through the ranks at Alvechurch, appearing for Cheltenham Town, Burton Albion, Wimbledon, Brighton & Hove Albion and AFC Bournemouth, before opting to bring an end to his playing days after three years with the Cherries.

Looking to transition into coaching, Cotterill took the reins at Irish outfit Sligo Rovers in 1996, kick-starting his management career a third place finish in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland as well as leading his side to the League of Ireland Cup final, where they lost on penalties to Shelbourne. He also guided the club into the 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup, before returning to England after a year at the Showgrounds.

He subsequently returned to Cheltenham and spent five years back at his hometown club, guiding the club from non-league all the way up to the Second Division before making the jump up into the First Division in the summer of 2002 with a move to Stoke City, although his spell at the Bet365 Stadium lasted just 13 games as he opted to resign in favour of a move to Sunderland, where he took over as Howard Wilkinson’s assistant.

This was then followed by a coaching stint at Leicester City before returning to management two years later with a move to Burnley, and preceded a three-year break from the game at the end of his three-year stint at Turf Moor. After returning to management for a second time, Cotterill subsequently enjoyed spells at Notts County, Portsmouth, Nottingham Forest, Bristol City, Birmingham City and Shrewsbury Town, notably winning promotion from League Two with Notts County and from League One with Bristol City, doing so both times as champions.

After his aforementioned stint at Shrewsbury came to an end ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, Cotterill remained club-less until the start of 2024 when he was named as Forest Green Rovers manager, replacing the outgoing Troy Deeney who had lasted just six games in his first ever managerial role. The 60-year old subsequently guided the club within touching distance of survival, but was unable to prevent their relegation as the Green finished rock bottom of League Two, although he has since mounted a serious promotion challenge as the club have looked to instantly bounce back, and currently sit third in the National League.

One to Watch

Kyle McAllister

Scotland youth international Kyle McAllister entered his third year as a Forest Green Rovers player, where he has made over 100 appearances.

Born in Paisley, Scotland, a brief stint in the Rangers academy preceded a move to St Mirren where he rose through the ranks, and subsequently made 14 appearances for the club’s First Team, before interest from a number of English clubs saw him make the switch to Championship club Derby County in 2017.

He subsequently spent two years at Pride Park, but after being unable to break into the side returned to St Mirren initially on loan, before making the move permanent in 2019, and he went on to make a total of 111 appearances for the Buddies over a further three years at the club.

McAllister departed St Mirren Park for a second time following a loan move to Partick Thistle, and returned to England with a switch to Forest Green in 2022, joining the then-League One side following their promotion to third tier. He has gone on to represent the Green in every division from the third tier to the fifth tier, making 121 appearances for the club in all competitions as well as enjoying his most productive spell since arriving in Gloucestershire, contributing ten goals and nine assists so far this term.

Last Time We Met

Sutton suffered a first Vanarama National League defeat of the season as Forest Green midfielder Charlie McCann scored a late winner for the Gloucestershire side for the second game running.

Their first meeting since being relegated from League Two together, it was the visitors who got off to the better start when Christian Doidge met one of many Ben Tozer long throw-ins to head Forest Green in front on the half-hour mark, with the Green midfielder almost doubling his tally before the break when he tested Steve Arnold with another header.

The U’s pressed in the second half for an equaliser with their attacks largely lacking the final pass, with Finley Barbrook and Ryan Jackson notably shooting wide on separate occasions. The leveller did soon come though, and was truly scored in style as Ashley Nadesan surged down the right flank before playing a low pass in to the penalty area which was laid back by Will Davies for Jeremy Sivi, who buried his low shot past Jed Ward to make it all square with just ten minutes to go.

Steve Morison will have thought his side had rescued a deserved point, but it wasn’t to be as a Lewis Simper free kick was gathered by Ward, who opted to instantly get play restarted with Kyle McAllister leading the counter-attack, beating Jackson on the wing to reach the byline before sending a dangerous delivery into the middle which McCann met, who checked inside before firing beyond Arnold to steal the victory at the death.

Head-to-Head

Sutton United 1-2 Forest Green Rovers (31/08/2024)

Forest Green Rovers 0-1 Sutton United (16/03/2024)

Sutton United 0-1 Forest Green Rovers (02/09/2023)

Sutton United 1-1 Forest Green Rovers (12/02/2022)

Forest Green Rovers 2-1 Sutton United (07/08/2021)

Sutton United 1-2 Forest GFreen Rovers (14/03/2017)

Forest Green Rovers 1-1 Sutton United (09/08/2016)

Played for Both

Dale Bennett

Former Sutton defender Dale Bennett ended his career with a season at Gander Green Lane, having previously spent five years at Forest Green.

Born in Enfield, Bennett began his career in the Watford academy, rising through the ranks where he captained the Hornets’ Under-18’s before signing professionally in 2008, and was followed by his First Team debut six months later as a substitute in a 1-0 victory over West Ham United.

Runs in the First Team would soon become sparing though, and while he ended his Watford career with 32 appearances to his name, he largely spent time out on loan with spells at Wealdstone, Kettering Town, Brentford, AFC Wimbledon and Yeovil Town, before departing Vicarage Road permanently in 2012.

A move to Forest Green was then confirmed towards the end of the January transfer window in 2013, and he subsequently spent the next five years at The New Lawn, making almost 200 appearances for the club. He notably contributed to three successive play-off appearances between 2015 and 2017 including two finals, with the Green beating Tranmere Rovers the second time round to reach the Football League for the first time in their history.

Bennett subsequently played 33 times in League Two for the club, before departing Gloucestershire in 2018 and returning to the fifth tier with a switch to Sutton ahead of the 2018/19 campaign. A hugely successive individual campaign for the defender, he won a clean sweep of awards as Club Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year and Supporters’ Player of the Year as the U’s finished tenth in the National League, before being into retirement due to injuries at the age of 29.

Photo Credit: Paul Loughlin