FOREST GREEN 1

GATESHEAD 0

ORGANIC champagne was the order of the day as eco-minded Forest Green finally raised the curtain on their season with a first victory and super fan Pete Reed made it a hat-trick of Olympic golds.

News of Reed’s triumph in Rio was greeted with warm applause from his hometown supporters on what ended up as a Super Saturday for the tiny town of Nailsworth.

Reed paraded his 2012 medal in front of fans four years ago and the team that year toasted him with a rowing celebration and he will now be gracing the New Lawn once more this month.

Rovers had started the season in choppy waters, but Dale Bennett’s speculative 90th minute goal handed Mark Cooper’s side their first win of the season and Gateshead their first defeat of the embryonic National League season.

A delighted Cooper said: “I thought we deserved to win the game and we totally dominated from start-to-finish, but the only disappointment is for me is that we only scored one goal, but we will have to get used to teams coming and paying the respect of getting everyone behind the ball - and we have to be patient and wait for the right opportunity - and probably didn’t create enough today.

“Our forward play wasn’t incisive enough, but hopefully that’s the slice of luck to get us off and running.”

Meanwhile, Heed boss Aspin cut a frustrated figure after Bennett’s late winner.

He said: “We didn’t get what we deserved today and we missed the better chances and we lost the game to a fluke- a mishit cross, which drops in at the top corner of the net so very hard to take at this moment in time.

On the back of two opening wins, Aspin managed to garner some positives from this last-gasp defeat.

He added: “ I take a lot of positives, Forest Green is a difficult place to come and make chances and we did that today. They can hurt you and pass the ball, so you have to work hard and not give them the space and I thought the players did that.”

The early exchanges were nip and tuck but Rovers flickered into life – Mohammed Chemlal finding space to demand a plunging 13th minute save from Heed keeper Sam Johnson and then Drissa Traore drilling wide from a central spot.

Rovers were gaining a foothold – Keanu Marsh-Brown cheeky disguised pass slipped in Doidge who fizzed over.

Heed fired a warning when former Forest Green striker Reece Styche harried Aarran Racine into a clearance for Wes York to pick out Paddy McLaughlin, who smashed his low strike into the advertising boards.

Former Heed keeper Russell spared Rovers’ blushes with a point-black save from McLaughlin after a clever York assist with 12 minutes of the first half remaining.

Cooper was spitting feathers just before the break when Manny Smith looked to have handled a ball outside the box to deny Doidge a chance to bolt onto a ball and a goalscoring opportunity.

Marsh-Brown opened the second period with a strike wide after foraging from Traore and then tried to repeat his Wembley howitzer as Rovers looked to break the stalemate.

Aspin and Cooper made respective changes with just 10 minutes gone in the second period - strikers Ryan Bowman Danny Johnson on for the Tynesiders - and former Oldham striker Murphy on for Rovers.

Marsh-Brown was becoming more and more prominent and his run allowed Chemlal to drive on and clip the top of Johnson’s bar with 23 minutes to go.

It was Gateshead’s turn to rattle the bar when sub Danny Johnson cut the ball back to fellow sub Antony Sweeney who rose highest to plant his header onto the crossbar.

Rovers went long and almost snatched an 83rd minute goal. Russell’s booming kick was flicked on by Doidge for Matt Tubbs to find space and clip a strike that Johnson fingered over.

Stalemate frustration grew - Marsh-Brown found his way into the book for a dive as he fell under a Johnson challenge.

And just as the game seemed to be meandering to a dour draw up popped Bennett with a speculative cross from the right, which dropped in off the far post to give Rovers their first victory of the new season.

Forest Green: (4-1-3-2 ) Russell 7; Bennett 7, Jefford7, Racine 7, Pinnock 6; Traore 7; ( Sinclair 78, 6)  Marsh-Brown 7, Robert 6 (Murphy 57,6 ), Chemlal 7; ( Carter 72, 6 ) Tubbs 6, Doidge 6.

Subs not used: Maxted, Moore.

Gateshead: (5-3-2) Johnson 6; Bolton 6, G Smith 7, M Smith6, Hogan 6, Fyfield 7; Mafuta 6, McLaughlin7, Brundle 6 ( Johnson 57, ; Styche 6 (Bowman 57,) York 7 (Sweeney 67,7).

Subs not used: Jones, Hanford.

Star Man: Keanu Marsh-Brown.

Attendance:1,143.