Forest Green Rovers 1 Stafford Rangers 2
If Steve Bull is appointed Stafford Rangers manager later this week then Neil Grayson and Kevin Street may well have completed their spell as caretakers in style.
If Steve Bull is appointed Stafford Rangers manager later this week then Neil Grayson and Kevin Street may well have completed their spell as caretakers in style.
Both found the net against seventh-placed Forest Green with Grayson giving Rangers an early lead and Street firing home the winner.
Rangers named an unchanged side with Nathan Smith and Matt Hazley returning from injury with a place among the substitutes.
Striker David McNiven was missing, having been loaned to Farsley Celtic.
An awful mistake in the home defence led to Grayson giving Stafford a 12th-minute lead.
The veteran striker sent a right-foot volley into an unguarded net after Rovers keeper Ryan Robinson sliced a clearance from Anthony Tonkin's backpass
Midway through the first half Danny Alcock produced a superb one-handed save to prevent Adriano Rigoglioso equalising.
Rovers kept up the pressure and Brough fired into the top-left corner from the edge of the area in the 35th minute to level things up.
Moments later, Alcock saved again from Rigoglioso and Stafford had to survive four successive corners in stoppage time.
Rigoglioso had the first chance after the restart when he turned inside the area but Alcock got down to hold.
Both sides pressed forward in a bid to get in front though Stafford created the better chances. Damion Jarrett saw one shot deflected wide and forced a good block from another effort.
Eventually Stafford took the lead in the 67th minute with a sweet strike. Street hit a low drive from the edge of the area straight into the bottom left corner of Robinson's net.
Steve Hopkinson's effort was kept out by Robinson's knee minutes later as Rangers almost extended their lead
There were some nervous moments in the Rangers defence during the last 10 minutes. The impressive Welsh burst into the area from the left and a drilled a well-struck shot which Alcock managed to keep out.
Forest Green got even nearer in the 85th minute when Alex Lawless' 25-yard free-kick thumped against the right-hand post.
Forest Green: Robinson, Jones, Giles, Hardiker, Tonkin, Lawless, Brough, Pitman (Afful, 50), Welsh, Rigoglioso (Dodgson, 58 (Preece, 84)), Fleetwood. Unused subs: J. Smith, Carey-Bertram.
Rangers: Alcock, Gibson, Daniel, Sutton (Sangare, 59), Flynn, Jarrett (Hazley, 86), Street, Arnolin, Hopkinson, Olaoye (Adaggio, 31), Grayson. Unused subs: N. Smith, Ingram.
