Tranmere had to do without the much-publicised throws of Dave Challinor, but were still good enough to earn a point against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

It looked for long periods as though Tranmere would collect all three after taking a deserved 34th minute lead through skipper Wayne Allison.

But Forest, having been booed off the field at half-time, at least brought some cheer to manager David Platt with a spirited second half display.

And they just about warranted the equaliser provided by young striker Marlon Harewood in the 66th minute - just two minutes after arriving as a substitute.

Forest had started brightly enough with Dougie Freedman and Jack Lester having chances inside the first 10 minutes, but it was not long before Tranmere asserted their authority on the game.

It was a contest between Forest keeper Dave Beasant and the Tranmere strike force, and eventually the Forest keeper was beaten.

He made excellent saves to twice deny Allison a breakthrough and then tipped over an Alan Mahon header from David Kelly's cross.

But there was something of an inevitability about Tranmere's ascendancy, and they were eventually rewarded in the 34th minute with Allison's goal.

Mahon produced the cross from the left and with Forest defenders static and Beasant getting nowhere near the ball, Allison was able to head into an empty net.

As Forest were jeered off at the break, Tranmere must have been relishing the prospect of further goals, but Platt managed to give his players a half-time lift.

Two minutes after the break Lester just failed to convert a Freedman cross and when veteran midfielder Ian Woan was introduced as a 62nd minute substitute, Forest looked a much better side.

But it was another player who came off the bench who delivered the vital equaliser. Harewood was on hand to meet a deep, curling cross from Alan Rogers and volley his effort past the impressive Joe Murphy.

Forest might even have gone on to snatch a winner, and it needed a splendid save by Murphy to keep out a Freedman shot after Rogers' cross had picked him out.

Teams:

Nottm Forest: Beasant, Louis-Jean, Prutton, Calderwood, Brennan, Quashie (Woan 58), Johnson, Bart-Williams, Rogers, Freedman, Lester (Harewood 64).

Subs Not Used: Crossley, Gray, Cooper.

Booked: Quashie.

Goals: Harewood 66.

Tranmere: Murphy, Hazell, Yates, Morgan, Roberts, Koumas (L. Jones 60), G. Jones, Henry, Mahon (Hinds 75), Allison, Kelly (S. Taylor 87).

Subs Not Used: Achterberg, Black.

Booked: Henry, Hinds, G. Jones.

Goals: Allison 34.

Att: 14,428

Ref: A Hall (Birmingham).