Koroma double ensures reserves end season on a high
FOREST Green’s Reserves brought their Football Combination Southern Division campaign to an end with a last gasp win against League Two side Crawley Town, writes Richard Joyce.
Trialist Omar Koroma scored two second half goals for Rovers after Lewis John had put last year’s Conference champions ahead with a tremendous strike in a Crawley dominated first half.
Rovers line up saw star striker Reece Styche lead the line up front in a side that also featured Luke Graham in a central midfield position. Meanwhile Gambia international Koroma lined up on the left side of Rovers attack.
Youth team striker Saul Williams produced the first effort of the evening on goal for Rovers after pinball in the box saw the ball fall to the nippy forward who could only drag his quickly hit shot wide.
The visitors first chance would arrive in the 20th minute when a defensive slip saw Edwin Armah lay off for John Dollery who could only fire wide of Rob Brown’s goal.
And it was Armah who then tried his luck minutes later but Rovers pressure on the ball saw him hit the ball well wide.
Another Crawley break forward led to Alex Mallins firing wide but the increased Crawley pressure would see the young Red Devils fire in the opener.
Centre back Lewis John was left with plenty of space outside the Rovers box to hammer in a powerful strike from distance to put the away side a goal up.
Rovers keeper Brown was then called upon to stop Jonte Smith from firing in a low edge of the box shot in a half which saw the League 2 team boss the chances with Brown making another useful stop to deny Olly Lockyer from finding the back of the net with a free kick.
Crawley would take their advantage in to the break but it was almost eradicated three minutes in to the second half when James Rowe hammered a fine free kick on to the Crawley crossbar.
Good work by Koroma then saw the trialist make Jack Eden pull off a good stop in the Crawley goal as Forest Green provided their biggest phase of attacking domination of the evening so far in the half’s early exchanges.
Eden was tested again by Rowe just before the hour mark with the midfielder’s thumping strike clawed away by the Crawley shot stopper with Rovers almost sneaking the ball in from the resultant corner.
Continued Rovers dominance then saw Ash Brown feed Styche whose turn and shot flew over the crossbar.
Forest Green would find the equalising goal they were looking for from another corner kick.
Rowe’s floated ball into the box fell to Koroma who stroked in past Eden to level things up.
It was a leveller Forest Green thoroughly deserved for their bright beginning to the second half and they added to it in perfect style right at the death.
With the second half well in to its allocated stoppage time, lively youth team substitute George Washbourne was brought down on the edge of the box with referee Ben James handing Rovers a final opportunity on goal.
Up stepped Koroma to fire in a fantastic last gasp free kick past the helpless Eden to ensure Rovers second string ended their league campaign with a superb win to crown a successful season.
