NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAY-OFF

SEMI-FINAL FIRST LEG

DOVER ATHLETIC 0

FOREST GREEN 1

A BRETT Williams howitzer handed Forest Green a semi-final first leg advantage and a step closer to a coveted spot at Wembley.

And caretaker boss Scott Bartlett enhanced his growing reputation as he guided Rovers to another victory in Kent and moved his side just 90 minutes away from a trip to the home of football.

Rovers were given a huge pre-match boost with key duo Dale Bennett (groin) and Rob Sinclair (hamstring) returning to the team. Meanwhile, Bartlett handed Aarran Racine the captaincy in his 100th league appearance as he took the armband from David Pipe, who dropped to the bench.

Dover made six changes to the side Rovers beat at the Crabble in the dead-rubber on Saturday.

On a sun-kissed Dover evening it was the hosts who settled first – Nicky Deverdics curling a free-kick over after Charlie Clough fouled Charlie Miller.

Rovers responded – Racine tossed in a high ball and Kurtis Guthrie worked some space to force a scrambling save from Mitch Walker.

Minutes later the mercurial Keanu Marsh-Brown let fly from 35 yards, but Walker did well to throw up a glove and deflect his hit over the bar.

Rovers were forced into a 15th-minute change with Marcus Kelly hobbling off to be replaced by Williams, leaving Bartlett to tweak his formation to an old school 4-4-2.

And their rhythm wasn’t hindered by the change – Bennett trying his luck from distance with a dipping hit.

It was getting cagey – Dover’s Stefan Payne a whisker away from a headed connection after a teasing Ricky Modeste cross.

Marsh-Brown was the first card of the evening as he dived in on Chris Kinnear on 34 minutes.

A minute later a moment of magic put Rovers’ noses in front to send the vociferous away fans into ecstasy.

Marsh-Brown started an attack that saw Dover all at sea and the ball fell to Williams, who curled a sublime strike into the corner of Walker’s net for his second goal at the Crabble in five days.

However, Dover remained a threat and only a Clough recovery tackle prevented the dangerous Miller from finding parity.

Bennett was equally impressive as he did enough to thwart Payne from a teasing Deverdics assist.

Racine nodded wide from a Frear corner as Rovers closed the half on top.

Dover tried to raise the bar in second half, but found the hammer-head partnership of Racine and Clough in imperious and unforgiving mood at the back along with the tenacious Bennett and eager Jennings.

But Modeste was certainly a thorn in Rovers' side as he clashed with Jennings and the ball was then shifted out to Miller, who will have been frustrated to fizz wide just past the hour.

Jennings failed to recover from the Modeste clash and was replaced by  Pipe.

Rovers marched on – Walker fingering a Racine header over and then the big defender volleyed wide from a Rob Sinclair ball.

Dover looked for a way back into the tie as Kinnear fizzed wide from 25 yards.

Rovers survived a few nervy moments in added time but hung on to take a slender advantage back to the New Lawn on Saturday.

Forest Green: (4-3-3) : S Arnold, D Bennett, J Jennings ( D Pipe, 68) A Racine ©, C Clough; R Sinclair ( J Parkin, 90) M Kelly (B Williams, 15), D Carter; K Marsh-Brown, K Guthrie, E Frear.

Sub not used: L Pidgeley, K Moore.

Attendance: 2,071

Star Man: Aarran Racine.

Next up: Play-off semi-final second leg: Forest Green v Dover Athletic, (Saturday, May 7, 7.30pm).