FA Cup fever grips Rovers in a week to remember (From Gazette Series)

FA Cup fever grips Rovers in a week to remember

Forest Green Rovers star Scott Rogers is urging fans to turn The Lawn into an intimidating wall of sound when Coca-Cola League One high flyers Bournemouth go toe-to-toe with the Nailsworth minnows in the FA Cup First Round tomorrow (3pm).

With more than a thousand Bournemouth fans expected to make the journey from the South Coast to Forest Green, fan power will be a significant factor in inspiring Alan Lewer's Conference strugglers to any potential cup shock.

Midfielder Rogers is certainly hoping that the fans will play their part. He told the Gazette: "Undoutbley we will be the underdogs and Bournemouth will bring a large following, so we really need our fans to create a wall of sound on Saturday."

Buoyed by back-to-back wins at Thame and then last Saturday's 3-1 victory at York City, Rovers will be approaching the game with renewed confidence. "These victories have improved our confidence and daytime training has fostered a greater togetherness. Bournemouth will be tough, but we will give it our best shot," added Rogers.

Meanwhile, Sean O'Driscoll's Bournemouth side moved up to fourth place in League One on Saturday with a 1-0 victory at Peterborough thanks to a solitary strike from hot-shot striker James Hayter, who struck his 14th goal of the season. Indeed, the Cherries are League One's highest-scoring team.

L Ground tickets for the big game can be brought on the day.

L Meanwhile, former Portsmouth striker Steve Claridge could become a Rovers player after the FA Cup clash tomorrow.

The Lawn's top brass, including chairman Trevor Horsley and director John Clapp, met with the former Weymouth player-manager last week.

"We have based our offer solely on Steve Claridge becoming a player for Forest Green Rovers," said chairman Horsley.

"We have offered him terms and he has gone away to consider our offer with a view to giving us an answer following our FA Cup game against Bournemouth on Saturday," added Horsley.

Boss Alan Lewer and Claridge are good friends and Lewer hopes to be able to add the veteran striker's extensive experience to his squad.

Claridge was sacked by Weymouth last month after the Conference South club were knocked out of the FA Cup by Thame.