Altrincham 2 Forest Green Rovers 2: History repeated itself in more ways than one at Moss Lane, where Forest Green clawed back a two-goal deficit for a second successive season.

For sheer drama, this match almost matched the extraordinary events of last March, when Rovers trailed 2-0 at half-time but finished up 5-2 victors.

They had to settle for a point this time around, as splendidly-crafted strikes from Jonathan Smith and Sean Rigg repaired an opening 22 minutes in which Craig Rocastle scored an own goal and Chris Senior doubled the damage.

It was Altrincham who were left clinging on at the death, and Dave Hockaday was as thrilled with his side's fitness and character as their classy attacking play.

Rovers could easily have gone ahead within 12 seconds, skipper Paul Stonehouse dragging a shot wide after bursting clear inside the area.

Altrincham wasted an even better opportunity in the ninth minute, when Aaron Burns' cross dropped for veteran poacher Colin Little at the far post, but he fired straight at goalkeeper Terry Burton.

Burns teed up Little again three minutes later with a clever pass, and Burton was forced into a low save.

The hosts went ahead from the resulting corner, as Rob Williams headed the ball down and Rocastle diverted it into his own net.

The second goal came from some slick interplay, Little eventually feeding Senior for an emphatic finish from 15 yards.

It already looked a long way back for Rovers, but brilliant wing play by Rigg culminated in a low cross that was swept home by Smith to make it 2-1.

Conal Platt curled wide of an upright after more delightful build-up, then Rigg was unlucky to see a fizzing 25-yarder come back off the crossbar.

Senior should have doubled his tally for the day when he scuffed Little's pass horribly wide.

A breathless first half served up one more clear chance in stoppage-time, Stonehouse foiled by a smothering save by Stuart Coburn.

The visitors quickly found their rhythm in the second period and began to pin Altrincham back.

Hockaday freshened up his frontline by introducing substitute Danny Powell in place of David Brown, who made no attempt to hide his annoyance at the decision as he sloped off and threw away his training top.

The former caretaker manager's frustration was understandable – he had been playing well – but he should be above such shows of petulance.

Powell came close to levelling twice, Coburn producing a sharp one-on-one stop after the on-loan MK Dons man had seen an earlier drive deflected over.

The equaliser came on 86 minutes, and it was worth the wait. Rocastle's cross-field pass picked out Rigg, who jinked past Shaun Densmore and bent a shot into the top corner for his seventh goal of the campaign.