With both Cambridge and Cheltenham losing, Rovers had the opportunity to claim top spot with a win and were just seconds away from doing so, but a late equaliser from Morecambe saw the game finish 2-2.

Aaron Collins excelled for Forest Green and provided a goal on 10 minutes and an assist to Jamille Matt late on in the second half. However, they were cancelled out by a Cole Stockton goal after 22 minutes and a cruel equalising header from Carlos Mendes Gomes deep into injury time.

Forest Green’s assistant head coach Richard Dryden admitted that being denied an important three-points is hard to accept.

He said: “I was very satisfied until about the 94th minute if I’m honest. It’s quite tough to take at the moment, being 2-1 up in the 94th or 95th minute and not winning the game, it is frustrating.

“Maybe when we sit down and analyse it and the end of the season it might be a good point at the end of the season but at the moment it’s quite hard to take.”

The draw sees Rovers remain in third spot, with the top of the pile becoming quite congested – just five points separate leaders Cheltenham from seventh placed Bolton, with some sides having two games in hand over those above them.

Dryden insisted that the competitiveness of the league is no surprise due to the level of the quality it possesses.

“When you’ve got Bolton Wanderers and Bradford in the league it’s just such a competitive league, there’s so many good sides in and around the promotion play-offs at the moment,” he said.

“We have to make sure that we’re still there at the end of the season because we’ve done so well this season and we have to plough on for another 13, 14 games.”

One major positive of an already impressive season for Rovers is the on-field synergy that Matt and Collins have and Dryden added he isn’t surprised they work so well together.

“They pair up quite well, Jamma (Matt) and Aaron (Collins),” said their coach.

“In the good old days, they used to car share to come in together and they are quite close and can almost read each other really.”

As the final goal went in, emotions predictably overran and saw Derek Adams and his team exchange a few heated words with some of the Forest Green bench.

Despite this, the Rovers assistant head coach accepted that in high-octane games emotions can predictably spill over.

He said: “If we sit there and do nothing and show no passion, we shouldn’t be in the game.

"This is our lives, what we live for and wake up every morning thinking of it, go to bed thinking of it and probably wake up at one o’clock thinking of it as well.

“We all want to win, it’s nice to see a bit of passion on the side as long as it is never over the top.”

Forest Green are next in action on Saturday afternoon when they welcome tenth placed Harrogate Town to the innocent New Lawn (kick off 3pm).