Football is well known for not always dishing out justice and if there had been any justice at Prenton Park on Tuesday night, Rovers performance would have seen them through to face Sheffield Wednesday at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium a week on Sunday.  However the dreaded penalty shoot-out scenario once again failed to help Rovers succeed and instead of Southampton, Norwich and Wolves, Rovers are left to face Yeovil, Scunthorpe and Swansea.

All the pre-match entertainment and preparations were focussed on making the home fans believe in their team, from the playing of the Southampton game on video in the club shop, to the replaying of the radio commentary from the same game just prior to kick-off it all made for an excellent atmosphere by the time that 7.45 arrived.

The Rovers squad went into the game knowing exactly what they had to do and my word did they do it in some style!  The 2-0 deficit they had succumbed to in the first leg last Friday meant that Rovers had to score, at least twice just to take the game into extra time.  With 65 minutes on the clock it looked like despite the pressure they had been forcing, they were not going to break the deadlock.

That changed on 70 minutes when Ryan Taylor sent Prenton Park wild with a 25 yard free-kick that squirmed in past goalkeeper Konstantopoulous.  The pressure did not relent and just three minutes from time the excellent David Beresford scored with a sweet shot to tie the match on aggregate and force extra-time.  The extra period saw no further breakthrough and so it was down to the penalties where once again Tranmere became the defeated side.

Brian Little made one change going into the match with Theo Whitmore dropping to the bench to make way for Eugene Dadi who joined Iain Hume upfront with Paul Hall moving to the right wing in  4-4-2 formation.  Chris Dagnall, who had not been in sixteen man squad in the first leg, made the bench in place of Russell Howarth which left Rovers with no goalkeeping cover.

Pools Manager Martin Scott stuck with the same side that had beaten Rovers 2-0 in the first leg meaning that Joel Porter who has recently returned from injury, again had to settle for a place on the bench.

From the moment the game kicked off with Rovers in possession, the intention was clear as they got straight at the visitors in the hunt for the early goal that would no doubt settle all those with White Blood who were very tense and yet equally supportive of their side.  Yet it was the visitors who threatened first after winning an early corner that was thankfully headed over by Chris Westwood.  Two minutes later Rovers Captain McAteer forced Konstantopoulos into a save after good work by Eugene Dadi.

The Whites continued to push forward and had what turned out to be their best chance of the game after just twelve minutes.  A cross from the right by Jason McAteer was flicked into Hume’s path by Ian Sharps and the little front man turned and lashed his shot off the bar and over.  Dadi had a couple of half chances before Rovers lost their Captain McAteer to injury and he was replaced by Danny Harrison.  It was clear that McAteer was in some distress at having to the leave the field so early in such an important game.

For the rest of the first half, it was all Rovers as my neck seemed to crick in the ‘looking left’ position as chance after chance seemed to go Tranmere’s way.  Dadi, Hume and Roberts had chances to break the deadlock but as the half drew to a close, it became increasingly frustrating for the players and their fans as it seemed like the possession would never be made to count.  As the half-time whistle blew, Rovers were cheered off with the packed home crowd clearly appreciating what they had seen so far despite the 0-0 scoreline.

HALF-TIME – TRANMERE 0 – 0 HARTLEPOOL

Danny Harrison had a good chance for Rovers just five minutes into the second half but he fired over from long range after Hartlepool had failed to clear.  Dadi shot goalwards just two minutes later but the shot was deflected out for one of Tranmere’s seemingly uncountable number of corners during the match.

Just before the hour mark, Ian Goodison who had in all honesty been struggling to cope since the game began, was replaced by David Beresford as Brian Little moved Gareth Roberts back to left-back with Beresford on the left of midfield.  It seemed to make a difference as Rovers’ already attacking minded play was now complimented with a performance rarely seen from David Beresford this season as time after time he took on, and beat the Hartlepool right-back and crossed into the area to create numerous opportunities for the men in white.

Hall, Dadi and Rankine all had chances inside the Hartlepool penalty area as the one-sided affair continued.  At times Konstantopoulous seemed unbeatable but just as it seemed that Rovers were running out of time, the breakthrough was finally made.  On 70 minutes, Hume was fouled just outside the Pools penalty area and Ryan Taylor stepped up to hit a low free-kick that Konstantaopoulous reached but the ball squirmed inside the keepers right hand post and Prenton Park erupted!!

The pressure had finally told and Rovers had done it.  The hard part of getting that first goal without also having conceded had been achieved with twenty minutes still to spare but there was still much work to be done for Rovers.  Two further Taylor free kicks were dealt with by the Pools defence as were a couple of chances for Dadi.  The agony for the home fans continued as time looked to have run out but with just three minutes of the ninety left, Paul Hall played the ball to David Beresford on the edge of the Hartlepool area and he curled in a neat finish to cue a deafening roar not heard at Prenton Park for many years!

Against the clock but with maximum pressure applied, they had achieved what I believed was impossible!  A 2-0 win on the night that looked set to force extra time.  Rovers could perhaps have snatched a winner as the final moments of injury time were played out but it was to be extra time.

90 MINUTES – TRANMERE 2 – 0 HARTLEPOOL

The extra time period seemed to fly by as for the first time in the match, Hartlepool came more into contention with their attacking now as important as their defending.  It was still mostly Rovers who were pressing and had good chances through another Ryan Taylor free kick and a Danny Harrison shot that was well saved by the Pools keeper.

Iain Hume went close from ten yards with a volley before Dadi had a follow up shot well blocked.  Finally, Rovers survived a scare late on when Ritchie Humphrey’s shot wide with the goal seemingly gaping.  With the shoot-out in mind, Brain Little replaced Eugene Dadi with David Beresford right at the death as the game ended 2-0 after extra time.

AFTER EXTRA TIME – TRANMERE 2 – 0 HARTLEPOOL

So it was to penalties at the Kop End of the Ground with Tranmere to take first and it panned out as follows:

TRANMERE ROVERS (5)                              HARTLEPOOL UNITED (6)

Taylor               SAVED                          Strachan                      SCORED

Hall                   SCORED                                  Tinkler              SAVED

Roberts               SCORED                          Porter                 SCORED

Hume                 SCORED                          Robson                SCORED

Dagnall               SCORED                          Westwood           SCORED

Beresford            SCORED                          Sweeney             SCORED

Sharps                SAVED                            Humphreys          SCORED                                                                                                                                                                           

Once again Rovers fail at the penalty shoot-out stage but there can be no doubt that the players gave their all from first whistle to last and Rovers can look towards a promotion push next season though after last night most fans would agree that Automatic promotion must be the only way!

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