Chris Stokes: Forest Green Rovers re-sign defender from Stevenage on short-term deal

Chris Stokes made 133 National League appearances for Forest Green between 2010 and 2015

Forest Green Rovers have re-signed their former defender Chris Stokes on a short-term contract from fellow League Two side Stevenage.

Stokes, 28, left Nailsworth in 2015, when he signed for Coventry City, with whom he spent three seasons and won promotion from League Two in 2018.

He then left the Sky Blues for Ryan Lowe's Bury, to win promotion to League One for a second straight season.

After Bury's demise, Stokes then moved on to Stevenage in July 2019.

He has played in 25 of Stevenage's 30 League Two matches this season. They are bottom of the table, 22 points behind ninth-placed Rovers, who are three points off a play-off place.

"I've watched the progress from afar," said Stokes. "The club has gone up and up and up. It is what I had hoped to achieve when I first signed here, but it didn't quite happen for the side I was part of.

"I've had a similar ride in my career, I've gone up and took the step to League One and enjoyed my time with Coventry and won trophies, which is what you want to achieve as a player.

"I've had back-to-back promotions out of this division and hopefully I can get a third. That is what I have come here for, to achieve things with Forest Green."

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