By Deadly Submarine
April 29 2005

Rovers face their final home league game of the season on Friday (April 29th) against Port Vale (Kick-Off 7.45pm). They will be looking to maintain their record as the only team in League 1 not to have lost back-to-back games as well as getting revenge on a side that beat them 3-1 back in December.

As has been the case too many times in recent weeks, Tranmere will once again go into a game hoping that they will not lose two consecutive games for the first time this season following Saturday’s defeat at Swindon.  Rovers have only won two of their last six games but the poor form of all the other play-off chasing sides saw them claim a definite play-off place on Saturday despite their defeat.

 

Port Vale had a good weekend after a 5-0 thrashing of Barnsley at Vale Park but followed that up with a disappointing 2-0 home reverse to relegation threatened Wrexham on Tuesday night.  Like Tranmere, Vale have won two, drawn one and lost two of their last six matches but their away form tells a different story.  Vale have lost four and drawn two of their last six away games.

 

In the previous meeting between the sides this season at Vale Park in mid-December, a terrible first half display from Rovers saw the game effectively over by half-time.  Port Vale scored two goals in the first seventeen minutes thanks to Birchall and Paynter before Paynter added a second goal just seven minutes into the second half to put the game beyond reach for Tranmere.  Mike Jackson struck a second half consolation for Rovers to make it 3-1 but the damage had already been inflicted and Brian Little’s men will be going all out to make amends for that result.

 

Last time the sides met at Prenton Park was in December 2003 when an Iain Hume strike was enough to secure a 1-0 win to Rovers.  Since the 1994-95 season, the sides have met nine times at Prenton Park with Vale’s only victory coming back in 1997 when two goals from Naylor secured a 2-1 win with Rovers’ consolation coming from Kenny Irons.

 

Port Vale’s top-scorer is Billy Paynter with 13 goals which include the brace he scored against Rovers in the game at Vale Park earlier in the season.  Tranmere’s leading scorer, Iain Hume has not scored since he got the winner in Rovers 2-1 win at Hillsborough at the beginning of April.

 

Tranmere are due a good home performance after three consecutive poor displays and couple with Vale’s poor away form of late, a win for Rovers would seem the most likely outcome.

 

DEADLY’S MATCH PREDICTION: TRANMERE ROVERS 2-1 PORT VALE

 

 

 

Stat Attack!!

 

 

Past Meetings: