Gareth Taylor's controversial goal midway through the second half earned Nottingham Forest a 1-1 draw they barely deserved at Wigan.

Joe Kinnear's side had withstood wave after wave of Wigan attacks, but Taylor swept home new-boy Andy Impey's pass to cancel out Lee McCulloch's first-half opener for the Latics.

Home fans were furious with referee Phil Dowd for letting Taylor's equaliser stand as they felt Andy Johnson was offside, but Latics manager Paul Jewell will feel more aggrieved none of his strikers could convert one of countless gilt-edged chances.

Jewell handed league debuts to summer signings David Wright, from Crewe, and former Bolton midfielder Per Frandsen.

But new striker David Graham had to settle for a place on the bench and there was no place in the squad for latest capture Emerson Thome, the Brazilian centre-half released by Bolton at the end of last season.

Forest fielded three debutants of their own with former Everton keeper Paul Gerrard in goal and defenders Alan Rogers and Impey - snapped up from Leicester during the close season - also starting.

Wigan made all the early running with Nathan Ellington, Gary Teale and McCulloch all going close, while Jason Roberts also tested Gerrard in the opening 10 minutes.

Gerrard then blocked another effort when Ellington let fly from 30 yards, while Taylor responded for Forest, latching onto a cross from Rogers.

But Rogers was hard pressed at the other end, with flying Scot Teale giving the Forest new-boy the runaround and whipping in several telling crosses.

Home midfielder Jimmy Bullard saw his goalbound shot from the edge of the penalty area blocked by Forest defender James Perch and Gerrard held another long-range drive from Roberts.

But Wigan made the expected breakthrough seven minutes before half-time. Forest cleared their decks once again, but the ball fell kindly to McCulloch on the edge of the area and the Scot buried his shot low into Gerrard's left-hand corner.

Gerrard parried Ellington's left-foot 20-yard shot shortly after the restart and McCulloch blazed wide as Wigan picked up where they had left off, but Forest hit back against the run of play to fire a shock equaliser in the 55th minute.

Wigan felt hard done by when Johnson was not flagged for offside when Impey played in Taylor, but the latter made no mistake to haul the visitors level.

Ellington limped out of the action in the 64th minute and was replaced by Graham, a £215,000 summer recruit from Torquay, who should have made a dream start after racing onto a through-ball and unleashing a fine right-footed shot from 25 yards that the inspired Gerrard was equal to.

The Forest keeper had earlier denied McCulloch, Roberts and Frandsen in quick succession as Wigan chased a winner.

Leighton Baines saw his shot blocked by Perch, who then made way for 38-year-old Des Walker as Kinnear threw on the veteran to steady a creaking ship.

Gerrard held another bullet from Graham in the closing stages as Forest held out to earn an unlikely point.