Total Tranmere - Tranmere Rovers v Carlisle Preview

Tranmere Rovers v Carlisle Preview

By Deadly Submarine January 31 2006
As Tranmere travel host League Two side Carlisle Utd in the LDV Vans Trophy quarter final on Tuesday night, Total Tranmere brings you all the statistics and team news to keep you in the know prior to the game. Rovers will be looking to put Saturdays dismal 4-1 home defeat to Brentford behind them.

TOTAL TRANMERE – Match Preview

TRANMERE ROVERS Vs BRENTFORD

Tuesday December 20^th 2005 – Kick-Off 7.45pm

Coca-Cola League One – Prenton Park

Team News

Tranmere Rovers have defenders, Ian Sharps, Ian Goodison and Gareth Roberts and striker Calvin Zola and facing late fitness tests after picking up knocks in the 4-1 home defeat to Brentford on Saturday.

Defender Simon Francis who has just extended his loan at Prenton Park by a further month, is ineligible for the clash after playing for Grimsby Town in an earlier round.

Goalkeeper John Achterberg and strikers Chris Greenacre and Chris Dagnall are expected to be absent again after recently picking up injuries.

Carlisle Utd are expected to have a fully-fit squad to choose from as Nathan Hawley is available after he received an injection to solve a ligament complaint.

Match Referee – Mr Russell Booth (Nottinghamshire)

Form Guide

Tranmere Rovers:

Last Six At Home - WDLWDL

Last Six Games - WWDLDL

Carlisle United:

Last Six Away - WDLWWD

Last Six Games - WWLWDW

Tranmere could not be going into this game at a worse time as understandable unrest amongst fans and low morale amongst the players threatens to completely derail an already woeful season at Prenton Park.

The one thing that could well save something from Rovers season would be a trip to Cardiff in the final of this competition in April and having dispatched Carlisle’s League Two rivals Lincoln City and Rochdale at Prenton Park in the previous rounds, Rovers will be looking for a third League Two scalp.

After losing 4-1 at home to Brentford on Saturday, Tranmere have not won at home since August 29^th in the league with that sequence at Prenton Park only being broken by the LDV wins over Rochdale and Lincoln.

Carlisle are sitting third in League Two at the moment and cemented their decent form after returning to the Football League with a comeback from behind to win 2-1 at home to Wrexham on Saturday with former Rovers captain Kevin Gray getting the equaliser for United.

United have only lost one of their last six games on their travels and in striker Karl Hawley, they also have League Two’s Player of the Month for November.

The Hotshots

Tranmere Rovers: Chris Greenacre – 9 Goals

Carlisle United: Karl Hawley – 15 Goals

Last Meeting

8th December 2001 – FA Cup Second Round – Prenton Park

Tranmere Rovers 6 – 1 Carlisle United

Price 9 Foran 71

Koumas 17, 18, 45

Barlow (pen) 70 McDonagh Sent Off 39

Yates 77

Attendance: 7,428

Referee: Mr Anthony Bates (Staffordshire)

The two sides have not met in League competition since the 1988/89 season when they drew both matches (0-0 at Prenton Park and 1-1 at Brunton Park).

However since those last league meetings, the two teams have met three times in various Cup competitions with Rovers triumphant in the last of these at Prenton Park in December 2001. In that game, in the second round of the FA Cup, Rovers found themselves 4-0 up at half-time thanks to a Jason Koumas hat-trick and an opening goal inside 10 minutes from Jason Price.

United had McDonagh sent off just before half-time and Rovers added two more goals through a Barlow penalty and Steve Yates, either side of a consolation from Foran.