It could not really be said that this game particularly sprang to life at any point of its duration but a dominant first half performance from the home side that saw them 2-0 to the good inside 25 minutes and then have a further goal disallowed before half time, ensured that Tranmere took three valuable points as Hull City above them again failed to win.

In their last five matches in all competitions, Rovers have scored each time within ten minutes of the start of the match but this time the home fans had to wait just a little longer before they took the lead.  Sixteen minutes had passed before Eugene Dadi eventually got the ball over the line after several Rovers players had tried to get a shot at goal as the ball came across. 

Tranmere have also become notorious for not holding on to early leads in games but this time just eight minutes after Dadi’s opener, Iain Hume made it 2-0 before Paul Hall had a goal disallowed for offside just before the half hour mark.  The third and final goal came with the last kick of the game when Hume’s tidy cross found Roberts unmarked on the far side and the Welshman slotted home to give Rovers a comfortable victory.

As in the last home game against Colchester, Brian Little stuck with a 4-4-2 formation but made three changes to the starting line-up from that 1-1 draw two weeks ago.  Iain Hume, Mark Rankine and Ryan Taylor were all available again after one match suspensions so Chris Dagnall, Danny Harrison and David Beresford dropped to the bench to make way for their return.  Completing the list of Rovers substitutes were Theo Whitmore and Paul Linwood with Little once again opting not to have goalkeeper Russell Howarth available as a substitute.

Huddersfield had what was on paper a potent strikeforce of 18 goal striker Pawel Abbott and loan signing Luke Beckett who always seems to score against Rovers.  Sadly for Rovers fans, Steve Yates was not in the Terriers 16-man squad and did not make what would have been a welcome return to Prenton Park.

Indeed the first shot of the game came from Abbott whose 25-yard effort sailed over Achterberg’s crossbar and into the Kop behind.  The two sides exchanged a couple of chances each through McAteer for Rovers and Mirfin for Town, before Tranmere took the lead in the 16^th minute with a move that inadvertently involved five Rovers players. 

The excellent McAteer played a free kick into the area that eventually fell to Ian Goodison.  His shot was knocked across goal by the goalkeeper and then touched on by both Hall and Hume before Eugene Dadi got the final touch to knock the ball over the line. 

After Ryan Taylor had seen an excellent long-range free kick brilliantly saved by Huddersfield keeper Paul Rachubka, Iain Hume doubled Tranmere’s advantage in the 26^th minute with a well taken goal.  It was a goal involving the three Ian’s as Sharps flicked on a Goodison free kick in the area and Hume chested the ball down and scored past Rachubka.  Paul Hall had the ball in the net just four minutes later after excellent work by Hume on the left of the penalty area but Hall was ruled to have been offside when Dadi flicked Hume’s cross to him.

From the scoring of the second goal until the half time whistle it seemed to be all Tranmere with numerous half chances falling to Hume and Dadi amongst others but Huddersfield would have been thankful to reach the break only 2-0 down.  Tranmere continued in much the same vein after the break with Iain Hume unlucky to see the busy Rachubka tip his fierce 20 yard strike over the bar for a corner in the 50^th minute.

As the half wore on however, Tranmere seemed to relax a lot more and had it not been for the two-goal cushion they had already afforded themselves, they might have looked under threat.  However in spite of their more constant second half pressure, the Terriers never really looked likely to threaten John Achterberg’s goal bar a couple of saves that the Dutchman was alert to.  The scoreboard above the Cowshed brought news that Hull were losing 1-0 at MK Dons and Prenton Park erupted with excitement and looked to spur the team on still further.

Huddersfield’s need to push for a goal left them more exposed in the final ten minutes and after the excellent Dadi had been replaced by Chris Dagnall, Tranmere were able to capitalise with the last kick of the game.  Iain Hume ran on to Ryan Taylor’s long through ball and crossed the ball low across the six yard area.  Dagnall running in failed to make contact but Gareth Roberts was unmarked beyond him and he made no mistake from six yards with a low shot into the bottom right corner to give Rovers their most comfortable win since the 5-1 win away at Wrexham on January 15^th.

The kick-off that resulted from the third goal was the last action of the game as referee Mr. Pike blew the final whistle and cheers erupted around Prenton Park.  It was Rovers first clean since the 2-0 win at Walsall on December 28^th and therefore their first of 2005.  News that Hull had scored a late equaliser at MK Dons and that Luton had scored a last minute penalty to record a 1-0 home win over Walsall did not seem to dampen the fact that Rovers have gained another two points on Hull who they meet in their next game at Prenton Park a week on Saturday.  Before that they face a tricky game away at play-off hopefuls Bournemouth, where last season Rovers triumphed 5-1.

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