Tranmere Rovers
Jabo’s Late Winner as Dons Down the Rovers.
By SteMcKeownTRFC
August 19 2009
Jabo Ibhere’s late smash and grab goal sent John Barnes men to their first home league defeat at Prenton Park since October 2008 which had spanned 19 competitive games. Match Reporter Stephen McKeown gives us his take on the game.......
Tranmere R 0 - 1 MK Dons
Ibhere 81
Attendance: 5,744
Jabo Ibhere’s late smash and grab goal sent John Barnes's men to their first home league defeat at Prenton Park since October 2008 which had spanned 19 competitive games. It was a sickening blow to Tranmere as they had started the more eager and determined of the sides but a second half performance which only saw Thomas-Moore hit post then bar left anything to shout about.
The majority of it entailed sloppy passing; slow closing down; and no urgency which ultimately paid the price. Barnes will have to quickly rally his troops as up next is a gruelling trip to West Yorkshire to take on high flying Leeds United at Elland Road. With only three points on the board from three games, the pressure from some sections of the fans is already clear to see which now makes Saturdays game more imperative than most.
After last Saturdays’ 4-2 home win over Gillingham, Tranmere fans arrived in good optimism scoring four in two consecutive games with Barnes tactics working a treat. Although we conceded twice the passing, movement off the ball and chances created were increasing and the style of the football on show was attractive to the fans. Another win against an injury ravaged MK would leave Tranmere in a very healthy position in League One, here is the starting XI:
Daniels
Logan Goodison Gunning Cresswell
Shuker McLaren Welsh Mahon
Curran Thomas-Moore (c)
John Barnes fielded an unchanged side from Saturday with two goal hero Thomas-Moore again leading the attack with Craig Curran. After John Welsh scoring a belter in that game, his confidence ahead the game must have been high, he partnered Paul McLaren at the centre of our midfield.
The game started with a roar from the kop as MK Dons kicked off shooting from right to left. Tranmere’s midfield was working hard to claim the ball so they could begin their possession game of nice neat tidy football on the floor.
It was only into the second minute when Willy Gueret the Dons keeper was tested. Cresswell won the ball down the left and fed it to Mahon who then saw the run of Curran and executed a brilliant ball into his path. Curran then turned the defender and ran at pace towards goal firing a stinging shot into the keepers hands.
The away supporters must have feared the worst after losing their two best defenders on Saturday and with Rovers looking ominous in the opening exchanges.
By the 10th minutes Tranmere had found their full passing game and were stretching Milton Keynes from side to side making use of the width that was available to them. In Rovers they have two wingers on their day that can be destructive with deadly balls and full of skill.
Alan Mahon retrieved the ball and cut inside firing a low shot along the ground which flashed past Thomas-Moore too quickly for him to reach and turn it goal bound. Barnes was impressed a quick clap in recognition of the type of play he wants to see.
The Crowd were nearly off their seats in applause in the next attack as Sol Davis failed to clear a ball over the top and he put it on a plate for winger Chris Shuker who volleyed first time. The element of surprise caught out Gueret who had to turn it round for a corner as it reached him with a huge bounce. Gavin Gunning continued the assault on goal with a powerful header that went over the bar from the resultant McLaren corner.
Gunning then turned a shot just past the post on 18 minutes while Jason Puncheon fired over the bar from a tight angle after the right flank was exposed to a rare counter. Tranmere were moving into overdrive with a constant backlash at the Dons goal, the visitors found it hard to get a kick and Paul Ince was evidently frustrated as in patches they managed to retrieve the ball it was soon wasted.
The best chance in the first half for Rovers arrived in the shape of a looping header from Craig Curran. 20 minutes had just ticked over on the clock when Shuker floated the cross over for Curran who was only denied by an excellent save by the keeper who was their Man of The Match keeping them in the game on several occasions.
Four minutes later John Welsh fancied his chances and tried a curling shot which whistled over the crossbar. Tranmere definitely having the better of the first half.
At the other end of the pitch where keeper Daniels had little to do, he was forced into action on 41 minutes. After captain Ian Goodison had previously saved Jermaine Easter going through one on one twice, Logan then played a sloppy pass (an occurrence in the second half which would be Rovers Achilles heel) which eventually founds it way to Easter who forced Daniels to tip his shot around the post.
Although the chances MK did produce were few and far between they were very good, Ince knew this throwing his hands up in the air to the heavens. A solid first half performance Barnes could draw a lot of from this in the dressing room and feed off numerous positives. Overall Tranmere should have been ahead.
HALF TIME: TRANMERE ROVERS 0 - 0 MILTON KEYNES DONS
The first 15 minutes of the second half saw much of the same from the previous 45 minutes; Tranmere having large amounts of possession but failing in getting that killer first goal which would surely open the gates for a couple more.
On 50 minutes Thomas-Moore hit a superb half volley which rattled the keeper’s left hand post. Two inches to the left and it probably would have rustled the back of the net. The Super White Army sensed the players were pushing hard and gave them a huge boost singing their hearts out and making themselves heard to even John Barnes; asking for a wave ever now and then.
Minutes later Thomas-Moore was again on the unfortunate end of hitting the frame this time the bar. McLaren quickly set the tempo firing a cracking ball out wide to Mahon who fizzed it into the box causing a scramble to get it clear.
The defender slipped allowing the striker to turn and smash it against the underside of the woodwork, it had Gueret beaten all ends up. It looked like it was going to be one of those days at the office as Curran with an overhead attempt and then Welsh tried to break the deadlock but to no avail. Thomas-Moore was a man on a mission and he went down in the box on 54 minutes as he tried to reach for an Aaron Cresswell cross, the referee however was having none of it.
On 57 minutes Jason Puncheon reminded everyone that the game was far from over when he broke clear of Ian Goodison hitting a low shot across Daniels, a timely hint of things to come from Paul Ince’s side. Three minutes later Ince had his head in hands as Jermaine Easter was left unmarked in the six yard box but somehow fired over the bar from point blank range.
MK Dons were definitely beginning to pose a different threat in the second half and began to use Tranmere’s ploy of neat and tidy football working each flank. The pace of Easter troubled Goodison who was later pulled off for precaution on a hamstring strain. Easter rattled the bar from a furious strike which left Daniels clasping at thin air and for all Rovers endeavour MK now had the ascendancy in the game.
John Barnes used all three available substitutions to his disposal first on 64 minutes bringing on young defender Ash Taylor to inject some pace into the centre backs however the inexperience of Gunning alongside Taylor could be a hindrance.
On 73 minutes previous MK midfielder and now part of the Rovers side Gareth Edds came on to replace Alan Mahon from the left and young prodigy Terry Gornell who scored at the weekend came on in replace of the ever working Thomas-Moore.
Barnes later revealed after the match he took Ian off because he had felt his groin go abit.The sloppy passing arrived within the last 20 minutes and Rovers had suddenly lost all sense of co-ordination and organisation as MK sensed a surprising victory.
It came on 81 minutes the killer strike through Jabo Ibhere who latched onto a good ball from the left flank. This came about as Rover tried to break the tried short passing interchange with Richie Partridge robbing them of the ball starting the move which gave them all three points.
Many Rovers fans felt disgusted not at the last twenty minutes of football but at the way the defeat came about, you could only see one winner from the start and that was Tranmere.
After shooting themselves in the foot late in the game, Gornell nearly came close to netting his third goal in the white of Tranmere; being thwarted by a last ditch clearance off the line as two consecutive free kicks were awarded. However the full time whistle blew to the reaction of boo’s.
Paul Ince had the last laugh and took his side back home to Hertfordshire now a point ahead of Rovers in the League standings. The next two fixtures don’t come much tougher for Tranmere in the shape of Leeds Utd (A) and previous Premiership overachievers Charlton Athletic (H).
With the Super Whites already lingering in the bottom half a good haul of points is essential to not further put us in a relegation battle.
Ian Thomas-Moore
The man never stops grafting and working hard for the team, should have had another two goals to his name but was denied by some bad luck. I have a feeling he will score yet again against his old employers Leeds next weekend and has carried on from the end of last season as being one of Rovers star performers.
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19/08/2009 01:01
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