Scorer!

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Rovers have rarely got anything from recent visits to the County Ground but that looked set change when Ryan Taylor scored a 20^th minute free kick to put the visitors into a lead that they still held at half-time.  However, the second half was a different story as two goals in as many minutes from Grant Smith just before the hour mark for Swindon sent Tranmere crashing to their second successive defeat on the road.

 

Rovers Manager Brian Little made one change to the starting line up from the Blackpool game with Eugene Dadi replacing David Beresford.  Little was forced to stick with the 4-4-2 formation that has been used in recent matches after the news that Gareth Roberts was not fit to take part in the game.  Theo Whitmore maintained his place in the team playing on the left of midfield in place of Beresford with Dadi partnering Iain Hume with Paul Hall moving to the right of midfield.

 

Danny Harrison, Paul Linwood, Russell Howarth and David Beresford were joined on the bench by youngster Carl Tremarco for the first time this season who was being used as possible left-back cover for Ian Goodison.  Swindon were without this seasons  top scorer Sam Parkin who was injured in midweek whilst playing for Scotland which meant a striking partnership of Christian Roberts and Rory Fallon.

 

Swindon who had the first chance of the game with Sammy Igoe firing wide from 25 yards out inside the first minute.  Tranmere though soon got into the game and began to dominate proceedings with Hume and Jackson both having shots at goal before Rovers took a deserved lead in the 20^th minute.  Iain Hume was felled on the edge of the area by Grant Smith and Ryan Taylor blasted a trademark free-kick past Swindon keeper Evans for the opening goal.

 

Tranmere soon switched to a 3-5-2 formation that saw Paul Hall playing in a left wing-back role with which he is not familiar in the least but Rovers continued to play well and after Roberts had almost equalised for Swindon, Theo Whitmore had a chance to double Rovers’ lead but he fired over.

 

A 1-0 half-time lead was the least that Rovers deserved but they were stunned in the second half by two goals in ninety seconds.  First a Eugene Dadi foul on Christian Roberts on 57 minutes allowed Grant Smith who had conceded the free kick from which Taylor had given Tranmere the lead to score an almost identical free kick to that of Taylor to level the scores.

 

Just a minute later the travelling Rovers fans were stunned as the home side took the lead and it was Grant Smith again who was the scorer.  Fallon dispossessed Whitmore in midfield and his accurate ball found Smith who ran clear and slotted past Achterberg.

 

Almost immediately Brian Little made two changes with Carl Tremarco replacing Dadi and Hall moving upfront and Harrison replaced Whitmore.  Tranmere had numerous chances to salvage a point from the game with a couple of chances falling for Hume and also for Goodison and Hall but Rovers were unable to equalise.

 

Despite the negative result, Tranmere secured a definite play-off place after Sheffield Wednesday failed to win at home to Stockport County and they also lost no ground on any of the teams in the play-off places as Bournemouth, Brentford and Hartlepool all lost at home.  Rovers can now only be overtaken by Hartlepool and Brentford but a win at home to Port Vale on Friday should see them all but secure third place.

 

 

 

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