Forest Green Rovers forced to release statement after bizarre bacon sandwich claim

Forest Green Rovers have brought home the bacon at last – or so the club claimed in response to a viral story after they beat Morecambe.

The world’s first fully vegan club made a meal out of the Shrimps with a 5-0 win that left the away fans bleeding like a stuck pig.

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Forest Green, already confirmed for the National League play-offs, warmed up for their clash with Boreham Wood in perfect fashion.

Morecambe, meanwhile, already burnt from suffering back-to-back relegations, finished a dour season with a bitter taste in their mouth.

However, it all proved too much for one Shrimps supporter, who went viral after footage emerged of him being ejected from the ground.

Morecambe fan kicked out of Forest Green’s stadium

It was alleged that one visiting supporter was treated like a piece of meat by stewards for sneaking a bacon sandwich into The New Lawn.

Baconbuttygate soon trended online, with Forest Green Rovers, as a fully vegan club, not selling any animal products at their stadium.

The club have now released a statement: “We are aware of a video circulating online following our game against Morecambe yesterday.

“Contrary to social media opinion and wisdom, the ejection was nothing to do with bacon sarnies, more a little ‘over exuberance’ on the last day of the season.

“After repeated warnings, the stewards were left with no choice, and the gentleman was ejected from the stadium.”

Morecambe then attached two hashtags reading, ‘Never let the truth get in the way of a good story’, and ‘slow news day’.

Why did Forest Green Rovers become vegan?

In 2015, Forest Green replaced the matchday menu at New Lawn Stadium with fresh, vegan food.

Two years later, the former EFL outfit were officially recognised as the world’s first vegan football club.

Forest Green owner Dale Vince, who is also head of green energy company Ecotricity, has insisted that food changes were about taste as much as environmental impact.

Traditional pork pies or meat burgers have been replaced by Q-Pies (Quorn, leek and onion), veggie burgers and vegan hot dogs.

Forest Green also have solar panels on the stadium’s roofs and have banned red meat since Vince’s appointment as chairman in 2010.

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“Personally, I’m vegan and have very strong views on the environment, animal welfare and human health,” Vince told the Independent in 2017.

“I couldn’t be involved in something that was catering that kind of menu, but rather than do it in one go we went on a journey with our fans.”

“A few got a bit angry and thought we were dictating to them what they could and couldn’t eat,” Vince added. “But we just explained that we were changing the menu according to our principles.”

And it appears to be the fuel Robbie Savage and his players needed to feast on Morecambe to finish the National League season in style.