Forest Green head coach Mark Cooper has revealed he tried to sign Owen Windsor.

The Grimsby Town loanee is set to play against Rovers on Tuesday, and was high on Cooper's recruitment radar during his time at Cirencester Town, but the energetic striker opted to sign for Premier League West Brom instead.

“We tried to sign him," Cooper told BBC Radio Gloucestershire. "We met with him and his parents and we made all the moves to try and sign him, but he chose to go to West Brom.

"We really liked him and it would have been good for him to have come to us and he would have got more game time, but he is at a good club in Grimsby and is doing really well."

Windsor has made a stunning impact for Grimsby since his arrival – scoring in the win at Cheltenham Town and providing an assist for former Forest Green forward George Williams in their victory at Leyton Orient.

And Grimsby boss Ian Holloway has been delighted with his impact, he told Grimsby Live: “He’s like a maverick, he doesn’t care if someone hits him, he just gets up and keeps bundling on.

“He’s got so much ability, and the lads love him. As a centre-forward, you’ve also got to work hard without the ball these days, and he doesn’t stop chasing and running."

The 19-year-old has been part of the Baggies' Premier League 2 squad this season and has netted five goals in five games so far this campaign.

Formerly on the books of Swindon Town and Southampton, Windsor is a scholar at Hartpury and helped the college win the Under-18s national championship in 2018/19.

Windsor scored six goals in seven Southern League Division One South starts for Cirencester, who were beaten by Cinderford Town in the play-off semi-finals at the end of the 2019 season.