Former Bristol Rovers boss Gould takes a point from first game with Weymouth

Weymouth 1 Forest Green Rovers 1: Former Bristol Rovers manager Bobby Gould took a point from his first game in charge of Weymouth as Forest Green nudged closer to Blue Square Premier safety.

Former Rovers, Wales and Cheltenham boss Gould, who lives in Portishead, took over the Terras after Alan Lewer's sacking on Saturday and had an immediate effect as the hosts took a point for the first time in 12 matches.

Forest Green will be left to rue a slipshod first-half display that saw Weymouth go ahead through Cliff Akurang in the 33rd minute, their first goal for more than 700 minutes.

However, Andy Mangan took his tally to 26 for the season – and missed an open goal – as Rovers saved face after the break.

It was so nearly a fairytale start for Gould, Fola Onibuje striking the bar in the sixth minute after latching on to Dominic Merella's cutback.

Onibuje was partnered in attack by Akurang, and he ought to have done better than head over from the middle of the penalty area on 20 minutes.

Rovers managed their first meaningful effort five minutes later, Lee Fowler sending a dipping shot over the bar after some neat build-up play.

Still Weymouth looked the more dangerous, and they almost went ahead moments before the opening goal when Terry Burton rushed out to block James Coutts' shot and Akurang struck a post from the rebound. They were not to be denied for long, Onibuje digging out a cross from the right for Akurang to nod home at the far post.

The visitors' task should have become doubly difficult three minutes into the second half, as Akurang raced clear of a horribly square defence and screwed wide with only Burton to beat.

Feeling reprieved, Rovers were only denied a leveller by some heroic defending as Conal Platt and Alex Lawless saw successive shots blocked.

Lawless initially failed to beat the first man from the resulting corner, but he made a better fist of the second attempt and floated in a delightful cross for Mangan to volley into the net and make it 1-1 on 51 minutes.

Platt was narrowly off target from the edge of the box and Mangan embarrassingly sliced wide of an empty net after home keeper Adam Legzdins had completely missed his attempted clearance.