NAILSWORTH, England (Interstat) — Forest Green Rovers defeated Braintree Town 3-1 in a National League match Saturday at The Bolt New Lawn.

D’Mani Bughail-Mellor opened the scoring for the hosts in the 37th minute. Lewis Walker doubled the lead in the 58th before Tom Knowles, who also received an early yellow card, made it 3-0 in the 71st with a goal and an assist. Braintree Town’s Nick Haughton scored a consolation goal two minutes later.

The victory improves Forest Green Rovers’ league record to 21-10-10, solidifying a strong playoff position. Braintree Town, which also saw Aidan Francis booked, falls to 8-24-12. The result surpassed a statistical projection of a 1-1 draw.