Tranmere Rovers
Rampant Rovers Earn Share of the Spoils!
By Deadly Submarine
October 2 2010
Mark Ridgway reports on this afternoon's hard-fought 1-1 draw for Rovers against table-topping Brighton although Rovers could just as easily have won the game with so much late pressure and a blatant penalty appeal turned away......
Saturday 2nd October 2010 - N Power League One
Tranmere Rovers 1 - 1 Brighton
Wootton 87 Murray 35
Attendance: 5,421
How Rovers never won this game I’ll never know, but when debutant Scott Wootton powered in the equaliser a large sense of justice was on offer. League leaders Brighton took the lead in an uneventful first half, but the second was the opposite and it was the Tranmere onslaught from the off. K itchen sink style pressure appeared to be of no avail until the United loanee struck two minutes from time.
There was just one change to the side that won at Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night with Jermaine Grandison who recently returned to Coventry, being replaced by Scott Wootton -another loanee this time from Manchester United. So the starting eleven looked like this….
Gulacsi
Blanchard, Wootton, Goodison, Cresswell
Ladabie, Welsh, Mendy
Akins, Showunmi, Jennings
League leaders Brighton arrived intent on playing the passing game, a style obviously drilled into the players by former star Gustavo Poyet. This created a slow start to the game, with both sides feeling each other out.
Brighton were creating some decent openings but impressive defending from Rovers kept them at bay, with Wootton especially standing firm.
The hosts should have taken the lead with their first meaningful attack but Joss Labadie did well to disposess his opponent and sent Showunmi clean through but some fine defending from Painter denied him. When the ball was returned into the box the striker returned the favour and put it on a plate for Labadie, who shot straight at the keeper Casper Ankergren.
Elliott struck a dangerously placed free kick for Brighton right down the throat of Gulacsi, and at the other end Mendy's sweetly struck effort was well held by Ankergren.
Tranmeres pressing style differed from Brighton's smooth football, and it was causing the visitors to panic and lose possession in difficult situations, but the hosts failed to capitalise on these mistakes.
Brighton then took the lead ten minutes before the break and completely out of the blue. Ankergren's long kick eventually fell to Glenn Murray and the striker struck a volley from 25 yards, not particularly powerfully, but it found the bottom corner and the visitors had the lead, a little against the run of play, if anything nobody deserved to be leading.
They then should have doubled their lead soon after, Bennett's effort was parried by Gulacsi, however Barnes blasted well over when he should have scored. A repeat action was on offer moments later as again Bennett's effort was parried and Barnes this time headed over when it was easier to score. So Brighton ended the half the better side and maybe should have been more than one ahead at the end.
Half Time: Tranmere Rovers 0 - 1 Brighton and Hove Albion
The second half began in dramatic fashion and just a few minutes in ,Akins flicked on to Showunmi, and the big striker cut inside onto his left foot and released a thunder bolt that smashed off the post and away to safety. Soon after Showunmi hit the deck under pressure from Elphick, but the appeals were turned down for a penalty and then Jennings curled a right footed effort over the bar as Rovers turned up the heat.
Jennings’ clever footwork down the right set up a chance from Showunmi, whose effort somehow was turned behind for a corner. The big striker then skipped past a challenge down the right but his low cross was turned onto the post by defender Lewis Dunk and out for a corner.
Jennings again did well down the left past his men and this time the ball fell to Welsh about twelve yards out but his dipping effort went just over, surely a goal was going to some eventually.
Despite Brighton’s attempts to get a stranglehold on the game it was still Rovers who were throwing the kitchen sink at the visitors. Showunmi was the next to be thwarted when he rounded the keeper, but his weak shot was easily cleared by the covering defenders.
Tranmere still had to be cautious of the Brighton counter attack, with Sandanza shooting wide for the visitors. Akins then did well for Rovers powering into the box before rounding the keeper, only for his two attempts to be blocked amongst a packed penalty box.
Cresswell’s set piece was then headed into the ground and over by Goodison, and when Ladabie was hauled down when chasing down the keeper more appeals were turned away. So when Dicker blatently brought down Showunmi in the box the Rovers fans' frustration was multiplying by the minute.
However just when it seemed the footballing Gods had contrived against Tranmere, with two minutes left the goal finally came. Enoch Showunmi was brought down on the right wing, so Cresswell whipped in a powerful free kick right onto the head of Scott Wootton who powered a header in from close range, much to the ecstasy of Prenton Park. (There is still question marks over the goal scorer, but it did appear to be Wootton’ goal)
Rovers could have unbelievably won it at the death when Jennings again beat his man down the left, but his effort sailed just over the bar, as four minutes of injury time came and went.
So Rovers produced an admirable performance against the league leaders, and the fans can take great pride of the passion that was on show today.
Full Time: Tranmere Rovers 1 - 1 Brighton and Hove Albion
Speaking on the BBC Website, after the game, Brighton Manager Gus Poyet appeared to have watched a different game to everybody else stating.....
"I think the feeling is that we lost today. We don't take this as a valuable point. That was probably one of the best ever chances to come to Tranmere and be three up or four up at half time."
"If you take your chances when you're on top of the game , it's over. If you don't, any team in the world is going to put pressure on you. Credit to them, but I think they were very lucky today."
Enoch Showunmi
The striker lead the line superbly, everything we created he was involved in as he worked tirelessly. His strength was top notch as always and deserved the goal that just never came, no matter how hard he tried.
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02/10/2010 20:01
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