The final curtain of the 2023-24 EFL League Two season will see relegated Forest Green Rovers taking on 14th-placed Notts County at The New Lawn Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
These two sides previously clashed in September in an exhilarating match that ended 4-3 in favour of the Magpies, despite a remarkable hat-trick from Troy Deeney for the Green Army.
Match preview
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Since Tuesday night's crucial victory for Colchester United over Grimsby Town, Forest Green Rovers fans have been grappling with the reality that 2023-24 marks the second consecutive season that their team are facing relegation.
The Rovers concluded their away season on a positive note, though, managing a 2-1 comeback victory over Morecambe at the Mazuma Stadium. First-half goals from Charlie McCann and Kyle McAllister gave Steve Cotterill's side their 10th league win of the season, while Morecambe suffered their eighth defeat in 10 games.
Chief among the issues leading to their demise this season has been the instability behind the scenes, highlighted by their relegation last season and the appointment of five managers, three of whom were appointed since last summer alone. Additionally, there have been changes in the director of football and chief executive positions, which has added significantly to the tumultuous atmosphere surrounding the club.
Cotterill was appointed on January 25 with the primary objective of securing the club's survival in the league and while results did improve, with five wins and two draws in their last 17 games, three successive defeats, including a devastating 6-0 loss to Wrexham on Saturday, ultimately sealed the club's fate.
The hosts have lost their last three matches in Nailsworth and failed to score in any of those games, but they will want to give the Rovers faithful one final reason to cheer before returning to the fifth tier of English football.
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Meanwhile, despite failing to get as close to fellow promotion recipients Wrexham this season compared to last, Notts County will likely be well pleased with their efforts upon their return to League Two.
The Magpies have managed 18 wins, seven draws and 20 losses in 45 matches to date and their 61-point tally leaves them 20 points clear of the drop, while a win here could even see them end the term in the top half of the table.
Stuart Maynard's team notched up their third league win in four games last weekend when Macaulay Langstaff's second-half goal earned the side a 1-0 win over Colchester in their final home match of the 2023-24 league season.
That result means that Colchester and Sutton United will be involved in a final-day relegation scrap, though the U's are in the driver's seat to maintain their League Two status, three points ahead of the Yellows.
County have lost only one of their last four away league games and will love nothing more than to end the season on a positive note before preparation gets underway for the 2024-25 campaign.
Team News
While the Rovers have endured challenges in the goalkeeping department this season due to injuries, emergency loan goalkeeper Vicente Reyes has made a significant impression since arriving at the club in February.
Cotterill made just one alteration to his lineup in the last match, with Harvey Bunker stepping in to replace the injured Ryan Inniss, and the 21-year-old midfielder is likely to get the nod again this weekend.
For the visitors, Albanian centre-back Geraldo Bajrami only played just 11 minutes of football this season before sustaining a cruciate ligament injury, which ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.
Langstaff has had an incredible season for the Magpies, scoring 28 goals and providing six assists. He currently leads the top-scorer standings in the league this season, four ahead of Wrexham's Paul Mullin and Salford City's Matt Smith.
Forest Green Rovers possible starting lineup:
Reyes; Dabo, Keogh, Moore-Taylor, Robson; Bunker, McCann, Osadebe, McAllister, Doidge; Garrick
Notts County possible starting lineup:
Ashby-Hammond; Cameron, Baldwin, Macari; Jones, Nemane; O'Brien, Robertson, Crowley, Austin; Langstaff
We say: Forest Green Rovers 1-2 Notts County
While Forest Green will be hoping to bow out of League Two on a high note, they will receive no favours from Notts County, who are still in the running to secure a top-half finish on the final day of the regular season. This should be an entertaining watch, but we feel the visitors will come away with the points.
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Devesh Jaganath
