An enthralling City Ground clash between the bitterest of East Midlands rivals ended with honours even as relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest held promotion-chasing Derby to a Coca-Cola Championship draw.

Grzegorz Rasiak had opened the scoring for the visitors only for parity to be restored with Paul Evans' penalty shortly before the interval.

Then Forest took the lead thanks to a courageous diving header from Gareth Taylor but Rasiak struck again, with his 15th goal of the season, to earn the Pride Park outfit a share of the spoils.

It had been the Rams who created the first opportunity of the afternoon when, in the 10th minute, Morten Bisgaard burst clear in midfield to set free Rasiak only for 'keeper Paul Gerrard to produce a fine save.

But the hosts failed to clear their lines from the resulting corner and after Bisgaard had dribbled along the right channel to the byline, the Dane crossed the ball to the back post where Rasiak headed home.

Forest responded through Kris Commons whose 35-yard effort was tipped over by Rams 'keeper Lee Camp ahead of Adam Bolder firing well wide at the other end.

Responsible for almost all Forest's attacking momentum, Commons put a free-kick on the roof of Camp's net shy of the half hour.

Then Gerrard needed to be off his line quickly to deny the on-rushing Paul Peschisolido.

But with 10 minutes to the break Forest drew level from the penalty spot after referee Mike Pike adjudged Mo Konjic to have brought down Commons.

Evans calmly dispatched to the keeper's left as Camp went the other way.

Moments before the break Peschisolido hit the post and after both sides had run out unchanged for the start of the second period, striker Scott Dobie - making his debut in a Forest shirt following his £500,000 switch from Millwall yesterday - broke clear of the derby rearguard only to fire across Camp's goal and wide.

Moments later and Scotsman Dobie forced England Under-21 'keeper Camp into emergency measures after the striker had cut in off the left and unleashed a fierce shot.

Rasiak helped relieve pressure on the Derby goal by forcing an ultimately unproductive corner with an hour gone ahead of an epic dribble from Peschisolido before the Canadian found himself crowded out on the byline by John Curtis.

Forest took the lead in the 68th minute after a speculative Commons shot earned a corner which the midfielder floated to the near post, where David Friio flicked on and Taylor produced a courageous diving header which beat Camp from 12 yards out.

Derby hit back, again through Rasiak, with 12 minutes to the go when Chris Makin crossed from the left wing for the Polish international to rise highest and beat Gerrard at the his near post.

Forest's Wes Morgan headed over late in injury time.

Teams

Nottm Forest: Gerrard, Curtis, Morgan, Melville, Doig, Friio, Evans, Powell, Commons, Taylor, Dobie (Johnson 77).

Subs Not Used: Doyle, Thompson, Robertson, Perch.

Booked: Powell.

Goals: Evans 36 pen, Taylor 69.

Derby: Camp, Kenna, Huddlestone, Konjic, Makin, Tudgay, Bolder, Idiakez, Bisgaard (Taylor 90), Peschisolido (Junior 87), Rasiak.

Subs Not Used: Grant, Mills, Reich.

Booked: Kenna, Rasiak.

Goals: Rasiak 12, 78.

Att: 26,160

Ref: M Pike (Cumbria).