Ameobi - physical presence for Forest Green.

By Nick Hext

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	2pts Forest Green to beat Rushden at 14/5 (Sportingbet).	Not far away from turning the corner and have impressed in the FA Cup recently.

It has been an interesting time for Forest Green with progress to the third round of the FA Cup coming as their poor form in the Blue Square Premier has seen them fall further away from safety.

Tuesday night's defeat at Wrexham sums up what has been going wrong for Rovers. They were the better side for much of the game but a moment of madness from Ollie Thorne as he conceded a stupid free-kick gave the Red Dragons the chance to score a late winner.

Individual mistakes keep costing the Gloucestershire outfit but their performances have improved in recent weeks. 1-0 defeats against the division's top two, Stevenage and Oxford, and wins in the Cup against Mansfield and Bath have provided hope for fans.

However, as much as every non-league side enjoys a run in the FA Cup, it is the league where results matter most. Forest Green now have a seven-point deficit to make up if they are to jump out of the relegation zone and they need to start winning games now.

Saturday's clash at home to Rushden provides a good chance to put the pressure on the sides above them. The Diamonds have lost their last two games and are wobbling slightly after a great run of form put them in contention for a play-off place.

The Nene Park outfit will still provide a tough test but Dave Hockaday's men have proved against the division's best sides that they are not too far away from picking up points.

The Rovers chief was particularly frustrated after the defeat against Oxford when he told BBC Radio Gloucestershire: "I feel like I've ran over a cat and smashed seven mirrors."

That statement is a tad self-pitying but it is correct to point out that Forest Green have run the division's best sides close, though, the reason for their lack of points is down more to their poor finishing and a few silly individual errors.

The return of last season's top scorer Andy Mangan at Christmas will certainly help the goals flow but fellow strikers Tomi Ameobi and Ben Joyce are both capable of impressing at this level and need to prove it quickly.

Ameobi, brother of Newcastle forward Shola, has provided a real physical presence at the head of the attack but he needs to translate that into goals if he is to help his side climb the table and possibly earn a move back up to the Football League.

Jared Hodgkiss and Craig Rocastle also have experience in higher divisions and they should be capable of mixing it with the best this league has to offer and boosting their future prospects at the same time.

Terry Burton, Paul Stonehouse and Conal Platt have also proved over the last few seasons that they have the quality to pull Rovers clear of danger. Now is the time for them to prove it and now is the time to back Forest Green to pick up the three points on Saturday.