FOREST Green boss Mark Cooper has explained Tahvon Campbell's departure from the New Lawn.

The striker, who's netted five times for Rovers this season, was loaned out to Gillingham on transfer deadline day.

Competition for places is fierce up front and Cooper revealed the striker wanted to move away but also felt it was the sensible decision to let him leave.

"His agent pushed for it and said that he wanted to leave and felt that he should be the team in front of all the strikers," said Cooper.

"We probably felt we had one too many so we felt it made sense to let Tav go.”

Campbell featured in Gillingham's 1-1 draw with Coventry City last weekend.

Also on deadline day, Forest Green signed Ben Liddle on loan from Middlesbrough to bolster their midfield.

Liddle is a player Cooper knows well.

He was pleased to bring him to the club and add to what's already a talented 'Middlesbrough' contingent at the New Lawn.

"I’ve known him a long time," Cooper said.

"His dad worked with me at Darlington. He’s very aggressive in terms of his play and likes to get about the pitch, take contact and he’s a good footballer.

"They’re on about getting a people carrier to get lifts up and down to Middlesbrough but it’s a good academy and they produce really good players so we’ve done well tapping into that with Junior Mondal, Nathan McGinley and now Ben.

Liddle could make his debut against Notts County at the New Lawn this weekend.

The Magpies are currently bottom of League Two and Cooper is surprised at how poorly his former club have performed this season given the money they reportedly spent.

"I think at the start of the season they were peoples favourites because of the money they were reportedly spending," Cooper commented.

"The chairman was spending bringing players in on big wages and transfer fees that you’d have to expect them to be up and around it but it shows money doesn’t guarantee you everything.”

Notts County themselves had a busy January window with seven players arriving at Meadow Lane.

The Rovers boss is wary about their threats and insists there's plenty of experience and know-how in their team to cause his side problems.

"When you look at the team that played on Saturday, they’ve a bit of everything and got some good experience and great characters in it," he said.

"Jon Stead, brilliant professional. Craig Mackail-Smith and Michael Doyle, who’s won promotions out of this league for fun and Jim O'Brien so they’ve got a lot of good characters in there.

"We fully respect their threats but if we do what we do and play well we have a chance to win."

A win could see Rovers go level on points with the top three.