The 2023–24 season was the 135th season in the history of Forest Green Rovers and their first season back in League Two since the 2021–22 season following their relegation from League One in the previous season. The club participated in League Two, the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, and the EFL Trophy.
Current squad
No. Name Position Nationality Place of birth Date of birth (age) Previous club Date signed Fee Contract end Goalkeepers 1 Luke Daniels GK Bolton Middlesbrough 14 July 2023 Free 30 June 2024 20 Jamie Searle GK Whakatāne Barnsley 22 July 2023 Undisclosed 30 June 2025 31 Tommy Simkin GK Stoke City 12 January 2024 Loan 31 May 2024 39 Vicente Reyes GK Charleston Norwich City 13 February 2024 Loan 20 February 2024 41 Fiachra Pagel GK Drogheda United 2 January 2023 Undisclosed 30 June 2024 Defenders 2 Marcel Lavinier RB London Swindon Town 3 August 2023 Undisclosed 30 June 2025 3 Dom Bernard CB Gloucester Birmingham City 17 July 2019 Free 30 June 2024 4 Darnell Johnson CB Leicester Fleetwood Town 4 August 2023 Free 30 June 2025 5 Ryan Inniss CB Penge Charlton Athletic 1 July 2023 Free 30 June 2025 15 Jordan Moore-Taylor CB Exeter Milton Keynes Dons 21 July 2020 Free 30 June 2024 16 Dominic Thompson LB Willesden Blackpool 12 January 2024 Loan 31 May 2024 17 Jamie Robson LB Perth Lincoln City 6 January 2023 Undisclosed 30 June 2024 19 Sean Robertson RB Wandsworth Crystal Palace 4 August 2022 Free 30 June 2024 25 Fankaty Dabo RB Southwark Coventry City 1 September 2023 Free 30 June 2025 36 Richard Keogh CB Harlow Wycombe Wanderers 9 February 2024 Free 30 June 2024 44 Murphy Bennett RB Stockport Manchester City 1 July 2021 Undisclosed 30 June 2024 Keon Sanniola CB Academy 5 September 2023 Trainee 30 June 2024 Midfielders 8 Charlie McCann DM Coventry Rangers 24 January 2023 £300,000 30 June 2026 18 Jacob Maddox AM Bristol Walsall 7 August 2023 Free 30 June 2025 21 Alex Rodríguez CM Tenerife Oxford United 12 January 2024 Free 30 June 2024 22 Maxi Oyedele DM Salford Manchester United 17 January 2024 Loan 31 May 2024 26 David Davis CM Smethwick Shrewsbury Town 1 July 2022 Free 30 June 2024 27 Harvey Bunker DM Portsmouth Academy 1 July 2020 Trainee 30 June 2024 28 Callum Jones CM Birkenhead Hull City 1 July 2023 Loan 31 May 2024 29 Reece Brown CM Dudley Huddersfield Town 1 July 2022 Free 30 June 2024 32 Jack Carter CM Academy 1 July 2023 Trainee 30 June 2024 34 Zach McKenzie CM Academy 1 July 2023 Trainee 30 June 2024 40 Fin Bell CM Academy 1 July 2023 Trainee 30 June 2024 46 Emmanuel Osadebe RM Dundalk Bradford City 18 January 2024 Undisclosed 30 June 2025 51 Jesse Thompson CM Reading 1 July 2022 Free 30 June 2024 — Dylan Kadji DM Bristol City 4 August 2023 Loan 31 May 2024 Forwards 7 Kyle McAllister RW Paisley St Mirren 1 July 2022 Free 30 June 2025 9 Matty Stevens CF Guildford Peterborough United 27 July 2019 Undisclosed 30 June 2024 10 Christian Doidge CF Newport Hibernian 31 January 2024 Undisclosed 30 June 2025 11 Jordon Garrick RW Kingston Swansea City 5 January 2023 Undisclosed 30 June 2024 23 Tyrese Omotoye CF Hasselt Norwich City 23 January 2023 Undisclosed 30 June 2024 24 Olly Sully CF Academy 5 September 2023 30 June 2024 37 Nathan Holland LW Manchester Milton Keynes Dons 24 August 2023 Undisclosed 30 June 2025 Out on Loan 6 Teddy Jenks CM Brighton Brighton & Hove Albion 1 July 2023 Free 30 June 2025 12 Alfie Bendle CM AFC Wimbledon 9 August 2023 Free 30 June 2025 Amadou Bakayoko CF Kenema Bolton Wanderers 12 January 2023 Undisclosed 30 June 2024
Transfers In DatePosPlayerFromFeeRef 1 July 2023 CB Ryan Inniss Charlton Athletic Free Transfer 1 July 2023 CM Teddy Jenks Brighton & Hove Albion Free Transfer 14 July 2023 GK Luke Daniels Middlesbrough Free Transfer 17 July 2023 CF Matty Taylor Oxford United Free Transfer 22 July 2023 GK Jamie Searle Barnsley Undisclosed 3 August 2023 RB Marcel Lavinier Swindon Town Undisclosed 4 August 2023 CB Darnell Johnson Fleetwood Town Free Transfer 7 August 2023 AM Jacob Maddox Walsall Free Transfer 9 August 2023 CM Alfie Bendle AFC Wimbledon Free Transfer 17 August 2023 CF Troy Deeney Birmingham City Free Transfer 24 August 2023 LW Nathan Holland Milton Keynes Dons Undisclosed 1 September 2023 RB Fankaty Dabo Coventry City Free Transfer 12 January 2024 CM Alex Rodríguez Oxford United Free Transfer 18 January 2024 RM Emmanuel Osadebe Bradford City Undisclosed 31 January 2024 CF Christian Doidge Hibernian Undisclosed 9 February 2024 CB Richard Keogh Wycombe Wanderers Free Transfer
Out DatePosPlayerTransferred toFeeRef 30 June 2023 GK Alfie Burnett Free agent Released 30 June 2023 CB Baily Cargill Mansfield Town Released 30 June 2023 CM Regan Hendry Tranmere Rovers Released 30 June 2023 LB Jacob Jones Cove Rangers Released 30 June 2023 GK Luke McGee Tranmere Rovers Released 30 June 2023 CM Dylan McGeouch Carlisle United Released 30 June 2023 CF Sean O'Brien Hayes & Yeading United Released 30 June 2023 CM Ben Stevenson Portsmouth Released 30 June 2023 GK Lewis Thomas Free agent Released 6 July 2023 GK Ross Doohan Aberdeen Undisclosed 6 July 2023 CM Armani Little AFC Wimbledon Undisclosed 25 July 2023 RB Corey O'Keeffe Barnsley Undisclosed 3 August 2023 CB Udoka Godwin-Malife Swindon Town Undisclosed 1 February 2024 CF Matty Taylor Cheltenham Town Free Transfer
Loaned in DatePosPlayerLoaned fromDate untilRef 1 July 2023 CM Callum Jones Hull City End of Season 4 August 2023 DM Dylan Kadji Bristol City End of Season 10 August 2023 CB Reece Welch Everton 3 January 2024 1 September 2023 CF Callum Morton Salford City End of Season 30 September 2023 GK James Belshaw Bristol Rovers 7 October 2023 12 January 2024 GK Tommy Simkin Stoke City End of Season 12 January 2024 LB Dominic Thompson Blackpool End of Season 17 January 2024 DM Maxi Oyedele Manchester United End of Season 13 February 2024 GK Vicente Reyes Norwich City 20 February 2024
Loaned out DatePosPlayerLoaned toUntilRef 27 July 2023 CF Amadou Bakayoko Dundee End of Season 25 January 2024 CM Teddy Jenks Ross County End of Season 2 February 2024 CM Alfie Bendle Eastbourne Borough 1 March 2024
Pre-season and friendlies On 7 June, FGR announced four pre-season fixtures, against Melksham Town, Coventry City, Everton Under-21s and Plymouth Argyle. A fifth was later added, against West Bromwich Albion.
Competitions Overall record
League Two
League table
Results summary
Results by round
Matches On 22 June 2023 the EFL League Two fixtures were released.
Postponed matches
FA Cup
Forest Green Rovers were drawn away to Scarborough Athletic in the first round. This match was played three times before a winner was confirmed by the Football Association, due to Forest Green Rovers fielding an ineligible player, under rule 109 of the FA Cup competition rules, in the original tie which ended in a 1-1 Draw. The player was on loan with Forest Green Rovers, but they had not received permission from the parent club to play him in the FA Cup. The FA ordered the match to be replayed on 6 December. This caused a knock-on effect of the second round tie against Blackpool being postponed until the original first round match had been replayed. The match against Blackpool was originally scheduled for 2 December 2023, and subsequently played on 19 December 2023
Void matches
EFL Cup
FGR were drawn at home to Portsmouth in the first round.
EFL Trophy
In the group stage, Forest Green were drawn into Southern Group A along with Walsall, Shrewsbury Town and Brighton & Hove Albion U21. After topping the group, Forest Green Rovers were drawn at home to Oxford United.
References