Forest Green Rovers welcome Eastleigh to The New Lawn on Wednesday evening looking for their first National League victory since September, while the visitors arrive after Aaron Blair’s hat-trick helped them beat Boston United 4-2. Eastleigh sit 15th with 18 points from 14 games, three ahead of Forest Green, who have played only 12 league matches.
Rovers have gone five league fixtures without a win since beating Gateshead 4-0 on 12 September. Their most recent completed league game was a 4-2 home defeat to Hartlepool United on 10 October, when Jordan Hugill and Nathan Sheron both scored twice for the visitors. Forest Green recovered from 3-0 down to 3-2 through Omari Patrick and Kyle McAllister, but Sheron’s late long-range strike settled the contest.
Forest Green were due to face Barrow on Saturday, but the match was abandoned after 14 minutes because of a waterlogged pitch. Their scheduled trip to Scunthorpe earlier in October was also postponed, leaving Rovers with two games in hand on Eastleigh ahead of Wednesday’s fixture.
The hosts have enjoyed better fortune in the FA Cup, beating Chesham United 5-0 in a replay on 20 October after a goalless draw in the original tie. That result provided their first victory in any competition since the September success against Gateshead, although they have yet to end their winless league sequence.
Eastleigh returned to winning ways on Saturday with a 4-2 home victory over Boston United. Blair opened the scoring and restored the lead after Lenell John-Lewis had equalised from the penalty spot, but Jake Rooney made it 2-2 before half-time. Dion Rankine put the Spitfires ahead for the third time with a long-range volley in the 60th minute, and Blair completed his hat-trick in stoppage time.
Goalkeeper Nick Townsend made important saves from Ollie Bostock and Tom Cursons during the second half as Eastleigh secured their first league victory since beating Sutton United in mid-September. The result ended a four-match winless league run that had included defeats to Harrogate Town, Woking and Hornchurch.
Forest Green have won all four of the clubs’ league meetings over the previous two seasons. They recorded 3-1 and 2-1 victories in 2024/25 before completing another double last season, winning 1-0 at The New Lawn and 4-2 away at Eastleigh in March.
The hosts begin Wednesday 17th in the National League with 15 points from 12 completed matches, while Eastleigh are 15th with 18 points from 14. Forest Green are seeking to end their five-match league winless run, while Matt Gray’s side are looking to build on their six-goal encounter with Boston.
