Attendance: 19,729 (Away 1,143)

Match Referee: Mr Grant Hegley (Hertfordshire)

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I should have a standard match report saved on my hard drive at the moment that says “Tranmere took the lead but failed to take all three points”. 

For the third game in a row it was the same old story as Rovers got their noses in front against but then let the lead slip away.  However in the end it was a decent point away against the team that started the day at the top of League One.

After a goalless first half, Rovers took the lead just four minutes into the second half through who else but former Forest striker Gareth Taylor with a header.  Eventually though the home side got back into the game through James Perch and both teams played out for a draw that was undoubtedly a better result for Rovers than for Forest.

Ronnie Moore made just one change to the team that started against Huddersfield Town on Boxing Day with John Achterberg replacing the injured Gavin Ward in goal for his first League start since November 2005.  Gavin Ward (thankfully as it later turned out) took his place on the bench despite suffering from a leg injury.

Facing Rovers in the Forest side was defender who John Thompson who only recently returned to the City Ground following a successful loan spell at Prenton Park that helped him to return to Forest’s first team.

Forest had the first couple of chances of the game whilst Rovers struggled to make progress down either wing, although Chris Shuker was having more luck down the left than Steve Davies was down the right.

Nathan Tyson shot from distance after ten minutes but Achterberg gathered easily with the Dutchman looking comfortable at the back despite being match rusty. 

Midway through the first half, the home fans thought Tyson had put their side one-nil up when he crashed a header against the Rovers crossbar but the ball bounced down and was cleared.  There was some debate in the away end about whether John Achterberg had got a touch on the ball to put it onto the bar but that remained unclear.

It was Achterberg who took centre stage again just a few minutes later but for all the wrong reasons this time.  Chris McCready tried to play the offside trap but Nathan Tyson broke clear forcing Achterberg out to clear the danger.  The Dutchman collided with the striker and went down forcing Chris McCready and Chris Shuker to block shots on the goal-line before the referee eventually did stop play to allow treatment for Achterberg.

At first the Rovers fans thought it was a ploy by Achterberg to get play stopped and it seemed that referee Hegley thought the same but it became clear that John was genuinely injured as a prolonged period of treatment followed.

Les Parry strapped John up to defend a free-kick but a few minutes later and almost unable to walk, Achterberg came off to be replaced by the semi-fit Gavin Ward who was hardly troubled for the remainder of the first half as it ended 0-0.

Gareth Taylor almost scored for Rovers against his former club just two minutes into the second half but only two minutes more passed before he did hit the target.

From a Rovers throw on the left, the ball fell for Paul McLaren who whipped in a cross which Gareth Taylor powered into the goal off his head to send the 1100 Rovers fans into a frenzy at the opposite end of the ground and ram the taunts of the Forest fans back at them.

In true Rovers style though, the goal failed to spur the team on to greater things and Forest began to pressure Rovers with Ward punching well before substitute Agogo reached the ball and Nicky Southall also shot wide as the pressure mounted.

Carl Tremarco replaced Steve Davies in the 68^th minute in a straight swap on the left wing and just four minutes later, Forest got their deserved equaliser.

Following a Rovers corner, the home side broke and a long ball across field found Junior Agogo who beat Chris Shuker to the ball and crossed for James Perch to fire home from 12 yards.

Rovers had another injury concern late on as Chris McCready left the field with a cut eye and was replaced by Kevin Ellison meaning Shane Sherriff moved to centre back and Tremarco to left-back.

After being pegged back Rovers still couldn’t put enough pressure on the Forest defence but at the same time, the home side didn’t look like snatching a winner either and the game ended 1-1, a point being good for Rovers but not so good for Forest who were overtaken at the top of the League by Scunthorpe United.

Rovers now need to take advantage of four home games out of the next five to climb back into play-off contention starting with Rotherham at home on Monday.

Paul McLaren – McLaren did his job well again in midfield for Rovers and also had a hand in Gareth Taylor’s goal.

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"It was a good game.  It's just unfortunate we couldn't hold on.  To lose your keeper again is sod's law.  I'm just glad we stuck Gavin on the bench otherwise we'd have been in trouble.”

"I've got nothing but praise for my lads.  They came and tried to pass it on a big pitch. I'm well pleased with the way we handled it.  There's no side going to come here and not be under the cosh for a while.  We handled it well.”

"It's nice for Gareth to come back and score, but I don't think we've put enough of those balls into the box this season.  If you put the ball in the right area he'll finish it, there's no doubt about that.”

"We've lost one in nine now I think, but there have been draws in there.  We've now got four out of five games at home, and that's when we've really got to hammer it home."

"McCready has a nasty cut under his eye with seven or eight stitches, and will be a big miss on Monday.  But Carl Tremarco can come in and play left back and Shane Sherriff can move to centre half.

"John has gone over on his ankle.  The lad was miles offside, he wasn't even close.  That's the disappointing thing for me. If it had been given, the injury wouldn't have happened.  Then I was waiting for the whistle, but the referee said he didn't think he was injured.”

"I don't think he's got any chance on Monday.  Gavin is feeling his kicking muscle and it puts you under a lot of pressure when you've got a defender taking the goal kicks. We've got to try and move fast - I don't know if we can get anybody in for Monday but we're certainly short on the keeper front.  We've got a 16-year old, Shane McWeeney, who isn't ready.  He's only a first year youth player, so there will a lot of phone calling tonight and tomorrow."

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