Attendance: 5,334

 

Referee - Mr Gary Sutton (Lincolnshire)

 

 

CLICK HERE FOR FULL MATCH STATISTICS AND TEAM LINE-UPS

 

Tranmere bounced back from the midweek defeat at Rotherham with a 3-1 victory at Northampton on Saturday afternoon that saw the gap between Rovers and League One pacesetters Nottingham Forest reduced to just a single point after Forest could only draw 0-0 at home to Carlisle Utd.

 

Goals from Calvin Zola, Gareth Taylor and a John Mullin penalty sealed the points for Rovers in a game which at times was fairly poor from a Rovers point of view particularly in the first half of the game.

 

Ronnie Moore made two injury enforced changes to the side that lost at Rotherham with star striker Chris Greenacre and captain Shane Sherriff both failing to be passed fit for the match prior to kick-off.

 

Greenacre was replaced upfront by Calvin Zola whilst Carl Tremarco stepped into the left-back position in place of Sherriff as Ian Goodison took over the captaincy.

 

The game was fairly even in the opening ten minutes with Zola having a chance for Rovers and Andy Kirk also having a go for the home side at the other end.

 

Just before the quarter-hour mark, Rovers were ahead thanks to Calvin Zola.  The striker brought the ball down well on the edge of the penalty area and stroked a neat finish into the bottom corner or Bunn’s net to the delight of Rovers’ travelling support at the opposite end of the Ground.

 

Kevin Ellison was replaced by Steve Davies on the left of midfield on 18 minutes and it was later confirmed by Manager Ronnie Moore that Ellison had had his eye poked out by Calvin Zola when celebrating the opening goal.

 

Just five minutes after Ellison left the field, Steve Jennings saw his first taste of first team action in the 2006-07 season when an injury forced Paul McLaren off the field after the midfielder had put in a decent performance in the opening 20 minutes.

 

As the new blood for Rovers got to grips with the game, the performance of the visitors seemed to go flat after taking the lead and Northampton had a prolonged spell of decent pressure that saw several goal chances wasted including a mix up between Chris McCready and Gavin Ward after Robbie Stockdale has chested back towards the goalkeeper.

 

On 34 minutes though Rovers doubled their lead somewhat against the run of the play when Calvin Zola who did well to hold up a long ball forward by Chris McCready, fed Chris Shuker on the right and the little wingers’ floated cross was met by the head of Gareth Taylor who made no mistake from around six yards.

 

Shortly before the hour mark, Rovers were awarded a penalty in front of their own fans when Brett Johnson handled Steve Davies’s cross in the area under pressure from GarethTaylor.  As Rovers players debated who would take the kick, it was eventually left to John Mullin who stroked the ball home to give Rovers a 3-0 lead.

 

On 74 minutes, the home side finally gave their supporters something to cheer as Scott McGleish sprung the Rovers offside trap and finished well past Gavin Ward in an almost exact replica of Calvin Zola’s finish earlier in the match.

 

The goal seemed to motivate the home side and Rovers found themselves under pressure in the final fifteen minutes or so with Gavin Ward having to make an excellent one-handed save to prevent further damage for Rovers.

 

Calvin Zola spent the final minutes of the game limping but still working hard but despite the calls from Rovers fans for him to be replaced, the striker remained on the pitch until the final whistle and ultimately, despite an often flat performance tinged with a few bright moments, Rovers got the desired result ahead of Saturday’s huge game at home to leaders Nottingham Forest.  A win then would see Rovers move to the top of the table.

 

Man of the Match

 

John Mullin – After a disappointing midweek performance, Mullin again showed his midfield qualities and this game with an effective performance capped by a fine penalty for Rovers’ third goal.

 

Gaffer’s Verdict

 

(Ronnie Moore Speaks to Tranmere’s Official Website)

“We had two experienced players missing but the lads who came in were magnificent.  It's nice to bounce back and we showed a lot of character.  It sets up a cracking game next week against Forest.”

"Their back four couldn't handle Calvin and Gareth.  Calvin's finish was magnificent to hit it from where he did.  On another day he could have had three or four.”

"I'm disappointed in the goal we conceded as we gave them a bit of a lifeline when they should have been dead and buried.”

"When it's 3-0 you've got to learn to enjoy it and relax.  McLaren is feeling his heel again so he had to come off.  Ellison got injured when celebrating the goal.  Calvin poked him in the eye and he couldn't see a thing out of it.  But Davies and Jenno came in and did what we asked of them.”

"Shane and Chris will be fit next week, whether or not they play is another thing.  I've said if people come in and perform they stay in.  The lads who have come in have done well."

Tal

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