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Substitute Lewis McGugan prevented Cardiff from going top of the Championship with a stoppage-time equaliser for Nottingham Forest in a 1-1 draw at the Cardiff City Stadium.

The Bluebirds looked set to usurp West Brom at the top of the table after Jay Bothroyd rounded off a slick move for the opening goal in the 63rd minute with a clinical finish.

But on Halloween weekend, it was the man with the face mask (pictured) who fired an emphatic volley past David Marshall in added time to preserve Forest's unbeaten away record and frustrate the hosts.

Billy Davies was forced to do without winger Nathan Tyson as David McGoldrick occupied the sole striking berth, but Guy Moussi returned to Forest's midfield.

The first half was a frantic affair but neither side was able to muster a goal as both lacked a cutting edge despite an abundance of promising build-up play.

Forest started the brighter as David McGoldrick streaked through on goal in the sixth minute but a poor first touch took him wide and he subsequently skewed his shot wide.

A minute later, the visitors had the first of two vociferous penalty appeals with both ignored by referee Graham Salisbury: Paul Anderson went down in the box under a challenge from Adam Matthews, then Wes Morgan took a poor tumble on the half-hour following a poor touch.

Paul Anderson was a persistent threat down the Forest left and he showed great vision to pick out David McGoldrick from a tight angle before Radoslaw Majewski had his shot blocked inside the area by Mark Hudson.

Anderson then drove his shot wide after creating an opening midway through the half after he latched on to Joe Garner's knock down inside the box.

Lee Camp produced two stunning saves to deny first Peter Whittingham - who was denied his seventh goal in successive games- then Stephen McPhail - who shortly after sustained an injury - with the rebound.

The end of the half ended with both sets of players embroiled in a mid-pitch ruckus following a rash challenge from Whittingham on Chris Gunter as the rain teemed down with tempers frayed.

It was a slightly subdued start to the second half with the rain having abated but eventually a string of clear-cut opportunities presented themselves at both ends of the field.

The deadlock perhaps should have been broken by Bothroyd in the 51st minute after the forward was put clean through on goal by a powerful header from Anthony Gerrard but his first touch was poor and Kelvin Wilson raced back superbly to intervene.

Ledley came perilously close to breaking the deadlock with a bundled shot from close range on the hour-mark but Majewski cleared the ball off the line following Whittingham's pinpoint cross from the right.

Bothroyd made amends for having squandered his earlier opportunity as he opened the scoring just after the hour: Chopra and Ledley combined before an impeccably-weighted through ball from the Welshman found Bothroyd who tucked his shot under the diving Camp.

Forest piled bodies into the box for a corner late on and Wilson contrived to miss his kick as the ball fell to him, unmarked at the back post, as the penultimate opportunity to restore parity was squandered.

Cardiff defended stoutly to protect their slender lead, but Davies employed a significantly bolstered attacking line after using his full allocation of substitutions, and the hosts' defence was finally breached in the 91st minute.

The ball fell perfectly for the McGugan on the edge of the area after it took a deflection off Hudson, and the 20-year-old lashed a fierce volley into the far corner of Marshall's net to level the match up at the death.

The point moves Cardiff up to second in the Championship table with Dave Jones's side having played a game more than Newcastle who face Sheffield United on Monday, while Forest leapfrog QPR into ninth.

Dan Quarrell / Eurosport