FOREST Green Rovers boss Mark Cooper was left disappointed after his side came home from a monster trip north to Gateshead with nothing to show for their efforts.

The 3-1 defeat in the north east was hard to take, but Cooper knows the club has to brace themselves for a massive March which will make or break their promotion-chasing season.

Forest Green’s defeat at Gateshead was particularly galling for the manager because his side let in sloppy goals and then failed to find the target to get back in the game in the second-half.

Kaiyne Woolery scored his first goal for Rovers during that second-half, but Cooper reflected: “We gave two horrendous goals away. Second half, we started brightly and got the goal so it was game on but we gave another goal away and it is a real mountain to climb.

But we still had loads of chances in the second half. That was frustrating but I thought Gateshead deserved to win the game and we have to move on.

“It was a disappointing performances. Sometimes it happens. We had too many players off colour.

“If you are conceding at one end and missing at the other, then there is a problem.

“The third goal was a killer. We cleared the corner and then we had two men standing like plantpots on the edge of the box and we don’t get near the man who is shooting into the top corner.

“We didn’t start well. We were sloppy at the start, and gave them the impetus which is not the right thing to do when you are playing away from home.”

Now, after tackling struggling Woking on Saturday and Tranmere Rovers on Tuesday, Mad March will bring six matches which could make or break their push for the automatic promotion they failed to achieve last season.

And, for third placed Forest Green, that includes big six-pointers against second-placed Dagenham and Redbridge on March 11 plus a tie against current leaders and FA Cup heroes Lincoln City at Sincil Bank on March 25.

Add a clash away at this week’s FA Cup stars Sutton United on Tuesday March 14, and Cooper should know one way or the other if Forest Green will be in a position to win the league by the time April 1 comes around when they take on strugglers North Ferriby at The New Lawn.