David Horseman hails Forest Green’s attacking options despite AFC Wimbledon draw

Forest Green boss David Horseman hailed his wealth of attacking options after Troy Deeney’s first Rovers goal earned them a 1-1 draw at AFC Wimbledon.

The former Watford star lobbed Dons goalkeeper Alex Bass with 15 minutes to go, cancelling out James Ball’s first-half strike.

Deeney’s arrival added to the goal threat for a side already boasting fellow summer addition Matty Taylor as well as Matty Stevens, who scored 23 goals when Rovers were promoted from Sky Bet League Two in the 2021-22 campaign.

Deeney may face competition from team-mate Ty Omotoye, who was in close attendance, to claim his goal, while Stevens spurned several opportunities at Plough Lane.

But Horseman feels it will not be long until his illustrious strikers are regularly finding the net for a side who have scored just three times in their opening five matches.

“Troy lifts it and he says he bundled it in, I will have to check the video, but him and Ty will have a conversation about that one,” Horseman said.

“That is the most minutes that Matty Taylor has played so far, since I have come here anyway, and he will only be stronger for it.

“Matty Stevens is a threat. When it is in and around the box, three chances fall to him today, three that he should always score and he will score going forward. But the fact is, he is in there and we looked a threat.”

Stevens was one of several players to go close prior to Ball’s opener, seeing a close-range header saved by Bass after Charlie McCann had earlier hit a post.

Ball met former Rovers midfielder Armani Little’s corner to give his side the lead 10 minutes before the break and his side could have won it late on, only for Luke Daniels to deny Josh Neufville and Ali Al-Hamadi late on.

AFC Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson said: “We have definitely had enough chances to see the game off and by the end of it we were the team pressing, so we are disappointed not to win.

“We had to make two enforced changes, we lost our captain [Jake Reeves] midway through the first-half and Armani Little had to go off at half-time, so we had to shift it around.

“They got their equaliser and they got into the ascendancy, but I was delighted with how we responded to that.

“They are a good side, they have got good players. Matty Taylor and Matty Stevens are a good front two for a level higher than this.

“All the boys felt like we should have won the game and we had enough chances to do it, so there is that disappointment.”

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