Forest Green gets added to the names of Bangor, Droylsden, Telford and Grantham as Dale deservedly get dumped out of the FA Cup.

The journey down to Forest Green Rovers was pleasant enough. It was very much a step into the unknown as I doubt many people actually knew where Forest Green actually was and if it was in fact the name of a place. Of course, history dictated that no one would dare ask "Where is Forest Green?" especially with the season of Noel so close. So we relied upon the Sat Navs to take us through the fog which lasted pretty much the entire journey, though surely there must have been some mistake as it directed us up some dirt track leading up a hill.

First impressions were about the number of Dale supporters who made the journey to Nailsworth. In fact, it seemed to be pretty much just Dale supporters everywhere, on the walk up the hill, in the village, in the Stadium Bar, 'cept for a collection of "home fans" cheering on either Wolves or Birmingham. Official figures had the travelling contingent as just over seven hundred.

We'd had a couple of changes to the side that came back from Gillingham in midweek. Stanton was left on the bench to protect him from collecting a fifth booking, but as proved during the game, the referee was giving free reign to central defenders to kick anything which moved. We also had the return of Kallum Higginbotham who joins our ever growing band of wingers.

As for the game itself? Well let's not pretend you're reading this report with no idea about what's gone on. It wasn't good, and not even that Iraqi fella could claim anything remotely bordering positive to come out of this game. We were outplayed by a side who wanted it more than we did.

In fact, the game could have been all over within the opening twenty seconds. For straight from the kick off, the home side took it to us, and quite possibly anything could have happened within this opening salvo. Straight up the pitch, breaking through a defence which was looking for a benched Nathan Stanton which left former Dale trialist Andy Mangan with a one on one with Sam Russell.

He attempted to go round Russell, succeeding and bravely opting to stay on his feet rather than the ultimately more beneficial sending off and penalty that would have ensued. In doing so, he went a little wide and we managed to draft enough players back to ensure that the danger soon passed. From this point on, we could not claim that the warning signs weren't there.

It did seem to wake us up a little bit, and we started to look comfortable with the hundred miles an hour style that the opposition were displaying. Whilst we had very little time on the ball at all, we showed patience and looked to take Rovers on the break. We were given the time and the space, but failed to show that decisive ball. Too often, the wrong option was chosen.

But we were certainly getting a foothold into the game, and we had a couple of efforts which did little to worry the home fans, but did do enough to suggest better things were on the way. We were thwarted by a referee who's willingness to allow the game to flow allowed Le Fondre to get taken out on a couple of occasions by Rovers defender Darren Kempson who came close to joining Dale in the Summer of 2007. How he remained without a booking can only be answered by the official.

And then came the reason why the TV cameras had rolled into town. The home side took the lead. Our defending was nothing short of shoddy as the ball came across from the left wing, and was just left. They were practically queuing up for it. Russell got a hand to it, but it was never close to stopping it going in. This was not part of the plan.

The home fans had got the goal they had come to see, and sensing a Cup upset, they celebrated with the worst football chant you've ever heard. I know there's been some bad 'uns at Spotland this season, but anyone who heard their "What do you think of Gloucester?" chant will know exactly what I'm getting at.

Half time, and we had the return of our Barnet moment. Higginbotham was withdrawn after an ineffective first half, with Jon Shaw thrown on as we were 4-3-3 with the intention of battering the opposition into submission.

Now the switch in tactics attracted its critics late in the game, but for a while there was no doubt that it was working. The second half was started almost entirely in the FGR half, as Dale forced around 27 corners in the space of 5 minutes. The Rovers keeper was looking shaky to say the least after a Lee Thorpe header was cleared off the line, and then he spent the next five minutes without a clue. The home side was panicking and a goal was clearly on the way.

Well the goal was on its way, and they weren't left panicking for long, as with almost their first step into our half of the field during the second period, they took the lead. Another defensive lapse allowed former Oldham winger Josh Low to sidestep our attempt at an offside trap, and he had so much time that you'd have been asking a miracle from Russell to prevent him scoring.

At this point, you kind of knew deep down that this was not going to be our day, and our first FA Cup exit at the hands of a non league side since the days when Telford instilled such fear into Dale supporters. It might sound obvious that at 2-0 down to say that you realised we might lose, but with so many comebacks under Hill, you never write anything off.

But it could so easily have been three nil not long after, and it took a fantastic diving save from Sam Russell to prevent it going in. 3-0 would have been a battering, make no mistake.

There was a late flurry from Dale, any maybe if one of the chances had gone in it might have been a different story, but it came across as nothing more than a token effort. Thorpe had a header cleared off the line, and Alfie had a goal disallowed for daring to interfere with the FA Cup giantkilling storyline, but the crucial fact was probably summed by the FGR keeper making his first real save of the game in the last ten minutes of the match.

The final whistle brought much celebration amongst the FGR players, whilst their fans raced out from the celebrations to find the first television camera they could find to dance in front of. 2-0 end of story, and it was time to bring out the old "at least we can concentrate on the league" cliché.

Whilst it was pretty far from being good, the grand scheme of things shows that this game was a one off and whilst emotions will no doubt run deep and continue for a few more days and possibly highlighted by a money spinning tie for FGR in Round Three, but it's hard to think back to a game where we have been outplayed in recent times, and the bigger picture shows Dale to be a highly motivated, successful footballing side, and any result from this game will only harden the desire and ambition to bring success to this football club. Saturday was Saturday, we move on.

Photo: Action Images

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