Buildbase National Game Awards 2019: Huck Nets Goal of the Season – Fabien Robert

Gloucester City’s French ace Fabien Robert will forever treasure the stunning strike that saw him bag top honours at The National Game Awards.

The 30-year-old striker spent the majority of the season on loan at Gloucester City from Forest Green Rovers and contributed some crucial goals as the Tigers narrowly avoided relegation from the National League South.

Robert scored a handful of screamers over the course of the season but his stunning volley in the 2-1 win over Truro City surpassed all other goals scored in Non-League football this season, earning him the Huck Nets Goal of the Season award.

His run of scoring three goals in three crucial April games also saw him pick up the Vanarama National League South Player of the Month award.

“It was a six-point game so it wasn’t a goal that was meaningless and it was also the best goal of my life,” he said.

“It had everything – skill, power and accuracy. It was a long ball and when it bounced up, I flicked it over the head of the defender and then volleyed it with my weaker left foot into the top corner.

“I ran straight over to the manager and the substitutes in the fans’ corner because it means so much to them.

“The team were struggling to get results and were at the bottom of the table when I arrived here and I wanted to help the team avoid relegation.

“People gave us no chance to survive, but we managed to do it with a few wins on the bounce, which is an amazing achievement for this team.”

The former Lorient man is no stranger to playing under pressure and has goals in top-flight French football to his name before he left Brittany for Swindon Town in 2015, having spent his entire career at his boyhood club.

The Frenchman managed one season at the County Ground before moving on to Forest Green, where he has also been out on loan to Aldershot Town before joining Gloucester City this season.

And after notching an impressive ten goals in 23 appearances for the Tigers this term, Robert will be looking for a new club this summer after being released by Forest Green.

“I knew there was pressure on me (at Gloucester) but that it was good pressure, and I was able to help the team stay in the league not just with goals, but with assists and bringing belief to the young players,” he said.

“My contract at Forest Green has ended and I want to find a club that will make me happy.”

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