Forest Green Rovers 2 Leigh RMI 2: WARREN Peyton's first goal for the club allowed Leigh RMI to savour the merits of a last-minute strike rather than cursing the referee whose watch would never strike 90.

Leigh had lost two points by an injury-time goal at Burton Albion just four days earlier after dropping two points against Shrewsbury and one to Scarborough with late lapses in concentration.

So when Alex Sykes received a flick on from Neil Grayson to put the Gloucestershire side ahead with just six minutes left, the groans from the small travelling contingent were understandably audible. They have seen it all before.

They hadn't accounted for Sykes becoming the villain though in stoppage time at the Lawn. The super-sub goalscorer handled Gerry Harrison's shot inside the area - an offence that referee Vaughan concluded to have prevented a goalscoring opportunity. Sykes received his marching orders just in time to miss Perrin's parry from Peyton's weak penalty. The midfielder recovered first to snatch a point from the rebound.

Such drama was hardly indicated early on, although both sides had chances.

Grayson spurned the first on four minutes when he capitalised on a hesitant defence to beat the offside trap and put Damon Searle's through ball wide.

RMI goalkeeper Gary Kelly was employed much more readily thereafter as he was forced to push Martin Foster's free-kick wide of the target and smother Scott Rodgers as he shaped to shoot. It was to be an afternoon of frustration for Rodgers, as his rebound was again saved by Kelly in the second half after Foster had turned Grayson's centre against the bar.

Kelly didn't have the monopoly on good 'keeping though - equalled in that department on 25 minutes when opposite number Steve Perrin defied his veteran status to turn Maden's glorious header over the bar.

Perrin could do nothing to prevent Leigh taking a shock lead on 63 minutes though. Kelly's hopeful punt upfield was met by the left boot of Dave McNiven who punched a left-footed shot into the roof of the net from 18 yards.

Alex Meechan's influence then controlled the game. He equalised from Grayson's pass four minutes later and could have had an assist with 10 minutes to go had Foster's finish not been hacked to safety by Neil Durkin's timely intervention on the line.