Leyton O   0 - 1 Tranmere R

                                                                   Ashton Taylor 83

Attendance: 1,518 (145 Tranmere Fans)

A resolute Tranmere side perhaps deservedly beat Leyton Orient in the FA Cup replay at Brisbane Road last night to progress to the next round thanks to youngster Ash Taylor who scored his first professional goal with seven minutes left to send the small band of 145 Rovers fans into ecstasy.

There were three changes to the side that unluckily lost at Norwich on Saturday with Shaleum Logan and Charlie Barnett both returning from suspension to go straight into the starting line-up in place of Ryan Fraughan and the suspended John Welsh whilst Ian Thomas-Moore started in place of Michael Ricketts as Ash Taylor moved from defence to midfield for this game meaning the team looked like this......

Daniels

Logan, Broomes, Goodison, Bakayogo

McLaren, Taylor, Barnett

Curran, Thomas-Moore, Shuker

Orient started the brighter and forced Luke Daniels into a number of routine saves early on in the match but perhaps against the run of play Tranmere looked to have earned a penalty on 19 minutes when the ball seemed to strike the hand of an Orient defender in an incident much more obvious than the handball given against John Welsh at Norwich on Saturday.  However the referee Mr Woolmer waved the appeals away to the disgust of the Rovers fans behind that goal.

Luke Daniels made some Good First Half Saves

At the other end Daniels did well to save from McGleish and Orient had a number of other half chances with Mkandawire and Demetriou also testing Luke Daniels but failing to make the breakthrough.  After a scrappy half Rovers will have been happy to go inside 0-0 at half time and 45 minutes to build on it in the second period.

So far though despite the usual lack of decent chances on goal, the Rovers players had worked hard, chased down loose balls and stayed relatively solid which in a number of games this season has been totally absent so the signs at half-time were promising.

Half Time: Leyton Orient 0 - 0 Tranmere Rovers

Ash Taylor drilled a shot over the bar for the first chance of the second half and JJ Melligan tested Luke Daniels at the other end and the much booed ex-Rovers player Sean Thornton blazed a free kick over.

The second half was a mixed affair with Orient having a decent spell of possession and half chances in the first 15-20 minutes before the pendulum then swung the other way and Rovers began to get on top themselves.

Paul McLaren's tackle on an Orient player on the edge of the Rovers penalty area almost proved costly as he spent the next five minutes limping around the pitch but just as it looked like Ryan Fraughan would replace him, he seemed to have recovered.

Daniels then saved superbly to deny sub Ryan Jarvis with fifteen minutes left and Barnett forced Morris into a decent save in the Orient goal and Ash Taylor shot over from 18 yards. 

Ash Taylor's First Senior Goal saw Rovers into Round Two

With just seven minutes left though the deadlock was broken in favour of the away side.  A Rovers free kick which had been given away by Sean Thornton, wasn't cleared by the hosts and from a crowded penalty area youngster Ashton Taylor fired in at the far post with the goalkeeper seemingly making a hash of it to give Rovers the lead although it was only when Rovers goalkeeper Luke Daniels celebrated at the end were the Rovers fans were that many fans realised it had gone in.

James Scowcroft then thought he'd levelled with just a few minutes left as he his looped his header over Daniels but the goal was chalked off for a foul on Luke Daniels by none other than Sean Thornton whose night was turning worse by the minute.

For the final few minutes Orient pressed for the equaliser that would take the game into extra time but Rovers dealt with it comfortably and Barnett bought Rovers some time when he played out the final few moments in the corner.

The final whistle was met by a chorus of boos from the home fans which is probably a good sign for Saturday as Rovers return in League One, but Rovers left with high spirits after going through.

Tranmere will now face League Two side Aldershot Town at home in the FA cup second round on Saturday 28th November and Total Tranmere will bring you ticket news and information as we get it.

Full Time: Leyton Orient 0 - 1 Tranmere Rovers

Ian Goodison

BBC Radio Merseyside perhaps bizarrely gave Man of the Match to Paul McLaren who didn't particularly impress although he wasn't awful either to be fair.  However, Deadly Submarine awarded the accolade to Ian Goodison who kept the back four solid and led by example throughout!!

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