It was the visitors who had the best chance of the first half, Ryan Clarke's low cross from the left wing was fumbled by the diving Steve Perrin, leaving Michael Reed with the chance to finish from close range, but his shot took a deflection off Perrin with the ball going over the bar.
Kevin Rapley, making his home debut for Forest Green, almost gave them the lead five minutes before half-time from Darren Davies' pass, the striker's shot on the turn clipped the left-hand post with the keeper beaten.
Eleven minutes into the second half Rovers went in front from a free-kick, Mark Beesley went directly for goal firing the ball low into the left-hand corner of the net.
Rapley was denied again by the woodwork 19 minutes from time, latching on to Beesley's throughball, but his belting effort rattled the Leigh crossbar and went out of play.
Five minutes from time a disaster struck for Forest Green which could go a long way to deciding their fate in the league.
A mistake from Scott Rogers allowed the visitors to get a dangerous cross into Rovers area and Perrin, with the simple task of collecting the ball, flapped at it, palming the ball straight to Leigh substitute Ian Taylor to head the ball into an empty net.