Forest Green Rovers fell to just a second defeat in 11 games as they went down 1-0 at home to Plymouth Argyle.

A quickly taken corner in the 24th minute proved to be Forest Green’s downfall as Antoni Sarcevic ghosted across from the left and curled his shot past Joe Wollacott.

Mark Cooper named an unchanged side to the one that beat Billericay Town at The New Lawn a week ago.

Changes to the bench brought some good news for FGR fans, as both Matt Mills and Kevin Dawson made a return to the squad.

With both sides feeling each other out in the opening 10 minutes, the first chance fell the way of the visitors in the 11th minute.

Byron Moore was set on the edge of the box but his shot was deflected behind for a corner off the sliding body of Ebou Adams.

Rovers stopper Wollacott was confident from the resulting set-piece punching clear to set FGR away on the break with Collins.

With Jack Aitchison in support, the Welshman charged into the opposition box, but was denied by the superb sliding challenge of Joe Edwards as the shot came in, before Collins was bundled to the ground but no penalty was forthcoming.

The game was now sparked into life and it was the men in the brighter shade of green who were looking to get the upper hand.

In the 15th minute Liam Shephard swung a ball in from the right, headed half clear by Niall Canavan.

The ball was worked back into Matty Stevens with his back to goal, who showed great strength to work space for himself and his shot fired across the face of goal and was turned away for a corner at the back post by Edwards, making his second meaningful interception of the half.

Two minutes later it was Byron Moore at the other end who was fizzing the ball across the face of the FGR goal but there was no black shirt coming in to make the meaningful contact on it.

The game continued to entertain a packed crowd at The New Lawn, with Collins the next to come close in the 20th minute.

The Forest Green forward got in behind the Plymouth backline and crossed, low, back to Aitchison, who couldn’t get the ball quite under control before it was worked back to the Scotsman, played left to Joseph Mills, whose cross was headed at goal by Collins, but it was a comfortable save for Alex Palmer.

The opening goal came in the 24th minute from a Plymouth corner that was taken short between Sarcevic and Danny Mayor.

The former continued with the ball to the corner of the box before finding a space to curl his effort into the goal, the ball nestling in a fairly central position.

There was almost an immediate response from Forest Green as Mills stood over a free-kick down the right wing.

He looked to catch out the keeper with a curling effort to the back post, that looked to be sneaking in if not for the intervention from Palmer to push the ball behind at full stretch.

In the 38th minute, Carl Winchester played a perfectly weighted ball over the top, that Dom Bernard was able to latch on and head past Palmer rushing out of his goal but Callum McFadzean was back to clear before Bernard could get the finishing touch.

Both sides were forced into a change at the break, with Nathan McGinley coming on for Joseph Mills, while Joe Riley replaced Callum McFadzean for Plymouth.

FGR started to build the pressure as the second half ticked by, with a series of corners and free-kicks putting the visitors on the back foot.

In the 68th minute, the pressure nearly told as Winchester delivered a sumptuous ball into Stevens, who cushioned his header down to Aitchison, the young forward only able to fire just wide on the half volley the edge of the box.

Two minutes later and it was centre-back Liam Kitching who found himself in unusual territory on the edge of the opposition box and decided to take the shot on that Palmer could only parry and the offside flag went up to deny Collins and Stevens, both looking to pick up the scraps.

FGR continued to bang at the door in six minutes added time, but as a corner dropped in the area, causing bedlam before Shephard saw his shot deflected wide of the post by Byron Moore, the opportunity to claim a point went with it.

Forest Green XI: Wollacott, Shephard, Bernard (M Mills 85’), Rawson, Winchester, Stevens, Collins, Adams, Kitching, J.Mills (c) (McGinley 45’), Aitchison

Unused subs: Thomas, Morton, Dawson, Godwin-Malife, Taylor

Plymouth XI: Palmer, Sawyer (c), Wootton, Canavan, Sarcevic, Edwards, Mayor, Joel Grant (Taylor 84’), Moore, McFadzean (Riley 45’ (Telford 67’), Josh Grant

Unused subs: M.Cooper, Taylor, Randell, G.Cooper, Rudden

Referee: Sam Purkiss

Man of the Match: Ebou Adams

Attendance: 3,896 (1,224)

Match Sponsor: Green Cola

Matchball Sponsor: KB Coaches

Next time out: Leyton Orient, Brisbane Road, Saturday, November 23, 3pm