Tranmere Rovers v Leeds United Match Preview

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By Matthew Jones
March 8 2010
Matthew Jones brings you all the stats, facts and team news you need to know ahead of Tuesday night's re-arranged League One fixture with Leeds United in Coca-Cola League One as Rovers hope to continue to climb away from the relegation zone......

Tuesday 9th March 2010 - Coca-Cola League One

Tranmere R v Leeds Utd

Kick-Off 7.45pm at Prenton Park

After a huge morale boosting 2-1 win over Southampton on Saturday, Tranmere go into this game against Leeds on Tuesday night knowing that a win could leave them seven points clear of the relegation zone in League One and in fifteenth place in the table if results go their way on Monday and Tuesday night.

Les Parry will have his side fired up again for another big fixture, and with Leeds having sold out their allocation of tickets for the match, their is sure to be a good atmosphere for what will no doubt be a firey game as both clubs go in search of a crucial three points.

Previous Meetings:

John Barnes was still in charge of Tranmere when these two sides met on August 22nd, and the rest, as they say, is history, as Tranmere were hammered by the home side and were indeed flattered to have lost by only a three goal margin.

Daniels Luke

Luke Daniels was the hero for Rovers as he frequently made some excellent saves to keep the score in single figures, as Tranmere embarassed themselves as Elland Road with an absolutely attrotious display that only cemented many peoples fears that John Barnes wasn't the right man to take the club forward.

Tranmere went beind on fourteen minutes when Daniels made a fantastic save from Becchio's header, only for the ball to fall straight to Bradley Johnson who netted from close range, whilst Leeds doubled their lead just after the half hour mark when Goodison's weak header fell straight to Beckford who comfortably slotted past Daniels and into the net.

The home side however had to wait for their third goal, with Daniels making great saves from Beckford and Kisnorbo, but he was powerless to stop Becchio getting his first of the game on 83 minutes when the striker headed home from close range after Johnson's free-kick had hit the bar following a foul by Goodison.

Vital Stats:

In four previous home games against Leeds United, Tranmere have lost just once, picking up two wins and one draw

These sides have only previously met five times in the league in their history, with a further four cup meetings meaning they have met just nine times

The away side has only ever won twice when these two sides have met

Rovers have only ever kept one clean sheet against Leeds, this coming in a 1933 F.A. Cup tie

These two sides have never before met in the month of March

On This Day:
2002: Simon Haworth scores as Tranmere draw 1-1 at Port Vale under manager Ray Mathias

1999: Rovers lose 1-0 at Prenton Park against Birmingham City

1996: Three years earlier Rovers draw 2-2 with the same opposition, against at Prenton Park

Rovers have played fifteen previous games on this day, picking up four wins, six draws and five defeats. In these fifteen games they have scored seventeen goals and conceded fifteen.

The Form Book:

Leeds United Last Six Away Games: DDWDLD
Tranmere Last Six Home Games: WLWLWL

After a stunning start to the season, Leeds' recent form has certainly slipped, as runs in the Football League Trophy and F.A. Cup have led to the club taking their eyes off the league.

Coming into this game, they have won just one their last seven in the league, whilst they are without a win in five on the road in the league.

Leeds started their six match sequence with a credible 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane against Tottenham in the F.A. Cup, before slipping to a 3-0 defeat to Swindon Town three days later in the league.

Simon Grayson's side then drew 2-2 with Hartlepool United, Becchio scoring twice, before three days later United won 3-2 against Carlisle United in the Football League Trophy, though the result was not enough to take them through to the final of the competition as they lost on penalties.

In their third away game in eight days, United picked up the first of two successive draws against Leyton Orient thanks to an injury time own goal, before in their most recent away game on February 27th, they drew 2-2 with high flying Huddersfield Town.

Other notable away wins for United this season include victories over Manchester United in the F.A. Cup (1-0), Stockport County (4-2), Bristol Rovers (4-0) and Colchester United (2-1).

Leeds come into this game having played sixteen away games so far this season and picked up 29 of an available 48 points, thanks to eight wins, five draws and three defeats.

Impressive results at Elland Road for Leeds this season include wins over Tranmere Rovers (3-0), Gillingham (4-1), Norwich City (2-1) and Yeovil Town (4-0).

Simon Grayson brings his side to Prenton Park in second place in the League One table, seven points off first placed Norwich, having played 34 games and picked up 68 of an available 102 points, thanks to 19 wins, 11 draws and just four defeats.

Ahead of the visit of Leeds on Tuesday night, Tranmere's form at Prenton Park is good, with three wins in their last six matches on home soil. However, they are yet to win back to back league games so far this season, an omen they will be looking to overturn this week.

Les Parry's side started their sequence with a defeat, losing 1-0 in the F.A. Cup against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round, before beating Yeovil Town in their next home game 2-1, thanks to goals from Ian Thomas-Moore and Ashton Taylor.

Rovers though then suffered a hugely disappointing defeat, losing 1-0 at home to Oldham Athletic, but next time out they returned to winning ways as Ian Thomas-Moore and Marvin Sordell scored in a 2-1 win over Leyton Orient.

Tranmere then suffered a 2-0 defeat to high flying Huddersfield Town, Lee Novak scoring both goals for Lee Clark's side, before on Saturday Tranmere picked up probably their best result of the season to date, as goals from Ian Thomas-Moore and Marlon Broomes secured Rovers a 2-1 win over Southampton.

Other notable results at Prenton Park for Tranmere Rovers this season include wins over Gillingham (4-2), Brentford (1-0), Bristol Rovers (2-0) and Carlisle United (2-0).

Tranmere have played seventeen home games so far this season, picking up 26 of an available 51 points, thanks to eight wins, two draws and seven defeats.

Notable results away from home for Les Parry's side this season include wins over Wycombe Wanderers (1-0) and Gillingham (1-0), as well as a 3-3 draw with Huddersfield Town and an F.A. Cup win over Aldershot (2-1).

Les Parry's side come into this match in 19th place in the League One table, lying four points and two places above the League One relegation zone, having picked up 36 of an available 99 points from their 33 games, thanks to ten wins, six draws and seventeen defeats.

Double Hit:

Current Leeds winger Andy Robinson is a Wirral born player who started his career at local non-League club Cammell Laird before joining Tranmere in December 2002 on a free-transfer, when Ray Mathias was in charge of the club.

Robinson though failed to ever hit the big time at Tranmere, as he made just one appearance for the club, a Football League trophy game against Bury, before being released and joining Swansea in August 2003.

A move away from the Wirral was exactly what Robinson needed, as suddenly he became a star lower league player.

Over the next five years Robinson made nearly 250 appearances for the club and scored 54 goals as he helped the club from League Two to the Coca-Cola Championship before joining Leeds at the end of his contract in July 2008.

Since joining Leeds though, Robinson has never really cemented his place in the team, and has made just nine appearances this season, not playing at all since November. He has been told he can go out on loan, and though Tranmere have been interested, his wages have been reported to be a stumbling block in him joining the club.

In his 18 months at Leeds, Robinson has made 50 appearances for the club, though nearly half of these have come from the substitutes bench.

One To Watch: Jermaine Beckford

After coming up against Rickie Lambert on Saturday, Tranmere's defence have another stern test this weekend as they face up to Jermaine Beckford, who is no doubt one of the best finishers outside the Premier Division.

Beckford has risen to stardom this season with goals against Manchester United and Spurs in the F.A. Cup, his goal against United knocking the League Champions out of the trophy, whilst a 96th minute penalty at White Hart Lane forced a replay against Spurs in the next round of the competition.

Beckford though has been on the scene for some years, having been scoring for fun for Leeds United for the past three seasons as he broke into the team after they were relegated to League One during the 2006/07 season.

The striker started his career at Chelsea but he failed to ever break into the first team at Stamford Bridge and moved into non-League football with Wealdstone in 2003.

A successful three year stint at Grosvenor Vale yielded 54 goals in 82 games and resulted in a move to Leeds in 2006 for £45,000.

After joining Leeds, Beckford spent time out on loan at Carlisle and Scunthorpe United in League One whilst Leeds were still in the Championship, whilst Tranmere were also apparently interested in signing the striker.

He scored nine goals in 22 games whilst out on loan, but it was what he did on his return to Leeds that sparked the most attention, as the striker has scored an incredible 79 goals in the last three seasons for United.

Having now played 141 games for the club, he has scored those 79 goals and is believed to be attracting the attention of many higher placed clubs for a summer transfer, including Everton.

Possessing pace, skill and a deadly touch in front of goal, Beckford, who wears the number nine shirt for Leeds, will have to be closely watched by the Rovers defence.

League One Fixtures:

There are only only four fixtures on Tuesday night in Coca Cola League One, with these matches taking place because of the original fixtures being postponed earlier in the season.

Carlisle vs. Millwall
MK Dons vs. Swindon
Oldham vs. Leyton Orient
Tranmere vs. Leeds

Team News:

Tranmere striker Bas Savage made his long awaited return on Saturday against Southampton from the substitutes bench, and is expected to feature again in this fixture against the team who he picked up his first achillies injury against.

Rovers however will be without versatile youngster Ashton Taylor who is still recovering from a hamstring injury picked up nearly a month ago, whilst striker Terry Gornell is out with mumps and Kithson Bain will once again miss out. Les Parry is therefore highly likely to select the same starting eleven than helped to beat Southampton at the weekend, assuming Rovers picked up no major injuries in the match.

Jones' Prediction: Tranmere 2-2 Leeds United

Though their form of later has been somewhat inconsistent, Leeds United are still a very strong side who are very much pushing for promotion from League One this season, mainly thanks to goals of Jermaine Beckford.

Rovers though have shown over the past two months that they are capable of playing well against the best teams in the division, beating Southampton at the weekend as well as holding Charlton to a draw at the Valley, so there is nothing to suggest they can't pick up at least a point in this game too.

If Tranmere are to win, they must not be scared to take the game to Leeds and attack in numbers as they did late on against Southampton on Saturday, with their confident attacking moves leading the the penalty that resulted in Ian Thomas-Moore's winner.

Tranmere's midfield though must continue to be very strong defensively, with John Welsh and Gareth Edds providing vital lines of defence for Les Parry's side, especially against a Leeds team that possesses such a strong and potent strike line that is capable of scoring many goals.

Bas Savage could again be key for Tranmere though, as athough he is not 100% match fit, when he comes on he certainly offers omething different up front for Tranmere and could provide a different option for Les Parry from the bench, whether Rovers are winning, losing or drawing.

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Tranmere Rovers v Leeds United Match Preview

Posted by: Total Tranmere (IP Logged)

Date: 08/03/2010 15:51

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:03:08:18:04:43 by Deadly Submarine.

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Re: Tranmere Rovers vs. Leeds United match preview

Posted by: Deadly Submarine (IP Logged)

Date: 08/03/2010 18:03

I'm going for a 2-1 defeat in this one!!

Fingers crossed though!

Deadly Submarine

"Will you stop saying you threw a monkey into the sea!"

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Re: Tranmere Rovers vs. Leeds United match preview

Posted by: ivvy (IP Logged)

Date: 09/03/2010 00:15

Watched Brighton draw at Colchester...no score.
Very well drilled side Brighton and I could see why it took Leeds the full 90 to equalise.
Point here is that we need to score if we want a point I think.

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