Oldham A 3 - 1 Tranmere R

Attendance: 5,442

Match Referee: Andy Penn (West Midlands)

CLICK HERE FOR FULL MATCH STATS AND INFORMATION

It never rains but it pours - especially in Oldham it would seem as once again Tranmere failed to win in the grim surroundings of one of the bleakest Stadium's in the Football League, slipping to a 3-1 defeat.

Two gifts in the first half handed Oldham the advantage and from there it was no way back for Tranmere despite a brief moment of hope when Mike Jones netted his first ever goal for the Club and his second in senior football.

Ronnie Moore made two changes to the side that lost 1-0 at home to Doncaster last week with the ill Antony Kay being replaced at centre-back by Ben Chorley whilst Chris Greenacre dropped down to the substitutes bench to be replaced in the starting eleven by Calvin Zola.

The game started off brightly with Rovers slightly the better team as John Mullin's header was saved by Mark Crossley with some ease whilst Danny Coyne saved well from Chris Taylor at the other end.

As the half wore on the conditions worsened as the rain lashed the pitch and the first ten or more rows of the visitors stand.  Calvin Zola and Myrie Williams had half chances for the visitors and Deane Smalley tested Coyne at the other end.

A half-time score of 0-0 would probably have been a fair reflection of the game but the course of the first half and ultimately the whole game turned on a moment of carelessness from the usually cool and calm Rovers Captain Ian Goodison in the 38^th minute.

A poor backpass from John Mullin put the defence under pressure but with Latic's Lewis Allesandra seemingly heading away from goal, Goodison inexplicably brought him down in the area and handed Oldham a needless penalty.

The Jamaican defender picked up a yellow card for his contribution in the incident but ultimately that was the least of Rovers' worries as he failed to return to action after being stretchered off following a failed attempt to get to his feet.  He was replaced by Mike Jones meaning that Shane Sherriff switched to centre-back alongside Ben Chorley.

How long Goodison is out for remains to be seen but the effect any absence will have on the team seemed clear almost immediately.

Neal Eardley dispatched the penalty with ease, sending Coyne the wrong way but worse was to follow just four minutes later.

With the command of Goodison gone from the back a farcical series of events starting with a poor backpass and ending with a distinct lack of communication between Danny Coyne and Robbie Stockdale saw Oldham add a harsh second goal just before the break.

Danny Coyne's attempted clearance hit Robbie Stockdale six yards from goal and whilst Coyne made a superb attempt to stop the ball crossing the goal-line, he could sadly only tip the ball onto his left hand post from where Chris Taylor had a simple tap in.

That goal was the last action of the first half as Rovers were booed off by the fans.

HALF-TIME - OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 - 0 TRANMERE ROVERS

There were no changes to either side at half-time but the rain had got even worse during the break and even left puddles on part of the pitch as the second half swung into action.

Myrie-Williams and John Mullin had early chances for Rovers in the second period but Coyne also had to be alert to save well from mark Allott.

On the hour Ronnie Moore made a double substitution bringing off Calvin Zola and John Mullin and replacing them with Chris Greenacre and Adnan Ahmed in the hope of getting back into the game.

Just ten minutes later, Tranmere fans were given a glimmer of hope when they pulled a goal back in front of the large travelling contingent thanks to a first ever Rovers goal from Mike Jones.

Greenacre's ball forward allowed Jones a relatively easy finish past Mark Crossley for what was his second ever senior goal after scoring his first on his debut on loan at Shrewsbury last season.

The spark of hope was extinguished just six minutes later though as moor poor marking allowed Leon Constantine to square for Lewis Alessandra to put Oldham two goals in front once again.

After the third had gone in, Rovers never really looked like getting back into the game and the 3-1 reverse coupled with wins for Leeds and Southend mean that Rovers drop down to 8^th place in League One with ten games left.

All is not lost yet but a tough trip to runaway leaders Swansea City on Tuesday night will not be relished by some Rovers fans.

FULL-TIME - OLDHAM ATHLETIC 3 - 1 TRANMERE ROVERS

Weather Report

This was our annual trip to Oldham so cold (despite five layers of clothing), wet and windy conditions were the norm once more in this horrible (as ever) part of the North West when it comes to weather.

Crowd

5,442 were inside Boundary Park for this game and 1,041 of them were Rovers Fans in a great effort by the Superwhite Army.  Oldham had slightly more fans for their ‘cup final' today than they managed on Tuesday night against Hartlepool.

Referee Watch

Andy Penn (West Midlands) - The referee had a very good game today, with the penalty decision against Rovers leaving him with no option whatsoever whilst he kept his cards in his pocket at times when other referees may not have thought twice about producing one - 8/10

Best Moment

I guess Mike Jones's goal in the second half to make it 2-1 was the only real moment of excitement from a Rovers perspective.

Tranmere Man of the Match

Ian Moore - On a day when the strikers had very little to feed off, Moore worked hard upfront for Rovers and put in a professional performance.  John Mullin also had a decent game but his backpass put Rovers in trouble just before half-time.

Opposition's Main Man

Lewis Alessandra - the young striker Alessandra had a good game upfront for the Latics, winning the all important penalty for the first goal and scoring the host's third goal.

Connections

Oldham boasted Reuben Hazell in their back four for this game and the former Rovers man had a decent game at centre-back.  Former Rovers' loanee John Thompson was on the bench for the home side but didn't get on to face his former side.

Home Fans

As mentioned above, the home fans turned out for their ‘cup final' in slightly more numbers than they did on Tuesday night against Hartlepool and at times they made some noise to get behind their team.

Summary

Even with the penalty already conceded and the possibility of going a goal down, the fact that Ian Goodison failed to continue at the back had a negative effect on Tranmere and the penalty, coupled with a second sloppy goal conceded ensured the game was up for Rovers early on.

Entertainment Value

As last week at home to Doncaster, today's game was relatively un-entertaining and certainly the ‘derby' feeling with which it has been billed by some - 5/10

Atmosphere

The Rovers fans sounded loud as they would do to someone sitting in with them but Oldham fans had spells of getting behind their team in what was a good day for them.  Sadly the game itself did little to create a brilliant atmosphere and was something of a let-down in that respect. - 6/10

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

Related Articles:

• Oldham Athletic v Tranmere Rovers Match Preview
• Oldham Athletic 3 - 1 Tranmere Rovers Match Stats

SPORTNETWORK SPECIALS

• Think you know your sport? Click here to try the Sportnetwork Prize Quizzes