FOREST Green are a point off the play-offs after they stretched their unbeaten run to four games in a competitive draw against high-flying Gateshead at the New Lawn this afternnon.

Jon Parkin’s 71st minute goal, his sixth of the season, looked to have put Rovers in the driving seat,but Gateshead netted parity six minutes later through Callum Howe.

Earlier, Forest Green boss Ady Pennock opted to freshen things up from the team, which beat AFC Telford on Tuesday.

Luke Rodgers and Kurtis Guthrie were handed their first starts of the season with Elliott Frear and Christian Jolley dropping to the bench. Parkin returned to the starting line-up in place of mid-week match winner Lee Hughes.

Gateshead, who started the day in second, started brightly enough against a Roves side, who were boasting seven points from the last nine.

In driving rain, Rovers found their feet. Rob Sinclair was pulling the midfield strings and his 21st minute clipped pass from a Sam Wedgbury ball, released James Norwood, who stepped on the gas to see his dink superbly blocked by Heed keeper Adam Bartlett.

Gateshead rallied, but found Sam Russell in top form as he superbly gloved a point-blank Jon Shaw strike away after Tom Allan had opened Rovers up on 28 minutes.

A far from feisty encounter saw a yellow for Marcus Kelly following a coming together with Andrai Jones.

Bartlett denied Parkin with 10 minutes of a nip-and-tuck first half to go. The scampering Rodgers fed the burly striker, who fizzed his shot into the Heed keeper.

The North East side responded with former Forest Green striker Danny Wright heading over a great chance from an inviting Jones cross.

Russell had to be on the money again as he dived low to keep out an Alex Rodman hit from just outside the box on the cusp of the break.

Pennock was forced to withdraw David Pipe on 58 minutes with the Rovers captain picking up a knock - Dale Bennett replacing him for his first start of the season- and Danny Coles taking the armband.

The Heed were dominating possession and Wright got to a deep cross before Russell, but nodded high, wide and not very handsome.

The match was crying out for a spark and Rovers tried to break the stalemate when Eddie Oshodi saw his deflected strike drop to Norwood, but he was off target from just inside the box.

The moment arrived on 71 minutes. The diminutive Rodgers’ strength and neat turn picked out the supporting Bennett, who sprinted into the box to superbly find Parkin, who swept home for his sixth goal of the season.

Rovers only held their lead for six minutes. Oshodi’s defensive header from John Oster’s free-kick was returned with aplomb courtesy of a stunning Callum Howe volley.

Pennock made a double last-gasp substitution with just five minutes to go. Veteran striker Hughes replaced Rodgers and the returning Clovis Kamdjo entered the fray for Sinclair.

Rovers almost snatched it at the death. Parkin nodded over from a hanging Kelly cross with 86 minutes on the clock and the burly striker almost won it in injury time as he used his physical strength to twist and turn in the box, but his toe-poke trickled agonising wide of the far post after the ball was cleared.

FOREST Green: Russell; Pipe (Bennett 58), Oshodi, Coles, Kelly; Guthrie, Wedgbury, Sinclair (Kamdjo 85), Norwood; Parkin, Rodgers (Hughes 85).

Subs not used: E. Frear, C.Jolley.

Attendance: 1,217

Away : 67.

Star Man: Rob Sinclair.