It seems apt that Journey’s song Don’t Stop Believin’ gets an airing on board Forest Green Rovers’ electric coach, as it quietly eats up the final mile of the trip to the Memorial Stadium on Saturday, three hours before the Gloucestershire side cement promotion to League One with a 0-0 draw at Bristol Rovers, becoming the smallest club to reach English football’s third tier.
Forty years after lifting the FA Vase against Rainworth Miners Welfare and toasting promotion from the Hellenic League Premier Division, the ninth tier of English football, Forest Green will soon be preparing to host Derby, Ipswich and Portsmouth. The goalkeeping coach, Dan Connor, is the unofficial DJ and controls a diverse playlist that ranges from Rihanna to Fleetwood Mac and Outkast. “I’m open to requests on the way back,” he says, smiling.
