Harriers end year bottom

It was always going to be a difficult game for the visitors, especially when they trailed to Jon Parkin's 15th-minute penalty – awarded for the slightest of challenges by Matty Young on Eliot Frear – which earned the young defender a yellow card.

Within three minutes, Young had added another yellow card to his name – a rash challenge on Frear leaving referee Constantine Hatzidakis little alternative but to dismiss the Harriers youngster. Harriers reshuffled, Jones dropped into right-back, but despite plenty of endeavour and spirit the visitors were undone by two set pieces in the second half.

Brett Williams converted Rob Sinclair's 58th-minute corner and substitute Kurtis Guthrie completed the 3-0 result in injury time, rising to meet Keanu Marsh-Brown's free-kick.

Harriers owner Colin Gordon said after the game: "These things happen when you are down at the foot of the table, you don't want to play against a side like Forest Green with 10 men, they have quality and know how to work the ball around against 10 men. We worked hard, you couldn't fault the commitment but it is where it is."

Regarding additional faces for the squad, Gordon stated: "We as a club do not have the resources to get a Parkin or a Carter, we have to find gems from other areas. We will look to recruit from where we can, we don't want to take a step backwards but if we have to then we will."

Harriers could have little complaint as they struggled to recover from Young's early dismissal and trailing to Parkin's penalty.

Both Brett Williams and Sam Wedgebury had opportunities to add to the score in a first half that lacked real quality from either side, Harriers best chance fell to Elton Ngwatala whose curling 25-yard effort flew narrowly wide.

Rovers increased the tempo in the second period but were rarely out of first gear as they dominated possession and in Frear and Bennett they had an outlet to exploit wide positions.

Rovers: Arnold, Bennett (Pipe 74), Racine, Clough, Kelly, Carter (Guthrie 74) , Sinclair, Wedgebury, Frear (Marsh-Brown 66), Parkin, Williams.

Harriers: Snedker, Young, Francis-Angol, Langmead, Howkins, Whitfield (Singh 78), Hodgkiss, Jones, Ngwatala (McQuilkin 86), Barnes-Homer (Maxwell 46), Patrick.