ROB MILSOM’S 96th-minute goal denied Forest Green a shock victory at League Two leaders Notts County.

Omar Bugiel’s 25th-minute strike put Rovers on course to upset the odds, but the Magpies swooped to break hearts with virtually the last kick of the game.

Rovers’ spirited performance helped them climb off the foot of the table and saw Notts drop one place to second.

All the pre-match conjecture surrounded a public war of words between Forest Green chairman Dale Vince and his Notts County counterpart over the summer transfer pursuit of Liam Noble, which ended with the league’s newest members publicly questioning the conduct of the world’s oldest.

Noble’s anticipated return to Meadow Lane would have been another talking point, but the 26-year-old has not been in Rovers' squad for their last two matches, against Cambridge United and Accrington, having started their opening nine matches of the season in League Two and the former Magpie is now expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future due to “a medical matter”.

Forest Green boss Mark Cooper made his first return to Meadow Lane after overseeing a short spell in charge of the club consisting of 10 games last year before joining Rovers, but he was forced to watch from the stands after admitting to a misconduct charge relating to the fixture with Accrington Stanley.

Cooper brought back Lee Collins in only one of two changes from the team that beat arch-rivals Cheltenham Town in the Checkatrade Trophy. Rested for the game, Collins took the place of West Brom loanee Jack Fitzwater. Meanwhile, Reece Brown was ruled out due to sickness and his spot was taken by Omar Bugiel.

It may have been a case of top versus bottom, but it was basement boys Rovers who rattled the Magpies feathers on four minutes. County captain Richard Duffy went into the book for a nibble on Luke James, but Drissa Traore followed suit three minutes later. Referee Lee Probert added a third booking on 18 minutes, this time for Rovers’ Lee Collins.

County were painting pretty passing moments as Rovers fed off scraps in a first-half punctuated by yellow cards. However, the Magpies came close to opening the score on 22 minutes. A Mark Roberts defensive header almost beating his own keeper Sam Russell, who was relieved to see the ball drop wide as he scrambled back to his line.

However, Rovers upset the form book and took the lead against the proverbial run of play on 25 minutes. Christian Doidge drove at the Notts defence and his ball across the box was touched in by Bugiel.

Rovers’ tails were up as frustration mounted at the Meadow. A free-flowing move saw Luke James bring a flying save from Adam Collin from a Dale Bennett cross, the diminutive striker doing well to get down low to use his head to thump his header towards the inviting net. Moments later Roberts drilled a shot into Collin.

Russell preserved Rovers’ lead with a smart reaction save from a Jon Stead stab in the dying embers of the first-half.

As expected, County boss Kevin Nolan administered the half-time hairdryer, and his side came out all guns blazing, but in the torrential rain it was Cooper’s side who weathered the storm.

Nolan turned to his bench, taking off veteran Jon Stead for former Newcastle striker Shoal Ameobi with 23 minutes left on the clock.

Rovers almost snatched a second with 17 minutes to go – Collin flapping at a Charlie Cooper fizzer and from the corner Bugiel should have nodded home his second with Collin all at sea.

Ameobi almost snatched parity with two minutes left, but his flying header dropped wide of the post as the net bulged in anticipation from a Jorge Grant cross.

However, they grabbed a point when Russell failed to keep out Milsom’s downward header.

Stat Attack

NOTTS COUNTY 1

Milsom 96

FOREST GREEN 1

Bugiel 25

Attendance: 13,267

Away: 154

Referee: Lee Probert

RATINGS out of 5

Russell 4

Bennett 4

L Collins 5

Roberts 5

Wishart 4

Traore 5

Cooper 4

Osbourne 4

Bugiel 4 

Doidge 4

James 5

Subs: Traore ( Randall 71) James (Iacovitti 90)

Subs not used: B Collins, Fitzwater, Stevens, Marsh-Brown, Laird

Bookings: Traore 7, L Collins 18, Cooper 90

NOTTS COUNTY: Collin, Tootle, Dickinson, Duffy, Grant, Hawkridge (Alessandra 59), Forte, Brisley, Yates ( Hewitt 68), Milsom, Stead (Ameobi 66)

Subs not used: Pindroch,  Hollis, Hunt, Smith

Bookings: Duffy 4, Milsom 76

COMING UP: Forest Green entertain Newport County in Sky Bet Two on Saturday, 3pm.