Tranmere Rovers
Match Preview: Tranmere Rovers v Aldershot Town
By Louise Formston
September 20 2015
As Tranmere prepare for their home game against Aldershot Town on Tuesday evening, Louise Formston returns with her match preview ahead of the game.....
After two away games inside four days, Tranmere return to Prenton Park on Tuesday as they take on Aldershot Town and look to stop drawing games and returning to winning ways.
Form Guide:
Rovers head into this game following two away draws at Southport (2-2) and Grimsby (1-1), but their last home game was an impressive display against Chester, just over a week ago which resulted in The Whites running out 2-0 winners. Aldershot on the other hand were away at Barrow on Saturday which finished 3-1 to The Shots with goals from Charlie Walker and Cheye Alexander. The compelling win came following Aldershot’s 1-0 victory over Welling last Tuesday and has left Aldershot just one place behind Rovers in the National League Table on equal points (17). Aldershot have failed to score in just two games this season, a goalless draw with Cheltenham and a 3-0 loss to Wrexham, both back in August.
Previous Meetings:
The last meeting between the two sides came in 2009 as Rovers beat Aldershot 2-1 in the FA Cup Second Round. Rovers were originally drawn at home to The Shots but a goalless draw meant a replay two weeks later before Rovers could ensure their place in the Third Round. Goals from Thomas-Moore and Gornell were enough for Tranmere to progress against an Aldershot Town that included current Rovers player Marlon Jackson. Prior to that, the two sides first met back in the 1961/1962 season, with Aldershot coming out victors in both games that season. The clubs went on to meet intermittently throughout the 60s and 70s before the Aldershot/Tranmere game became a permanent fixture during the 1980s.
Injuries and Suspensions:
The Grimsby game has left Rovers looking a little short in terms of numbers. Liam Hogan was subbed off early on Friday after he reported he was feeling dizzy following with a head injury. Soon into the second half, Adam Mekki was the next to be substituted and was quickly followed by a limping Jackson into the dressing room. Current FA guidelines don’t allow a player to return to action until a minimum of six days has passed following a diagnosis of concussion so Hogan will be ruled out of Tuesday’s game but should, fingers crossed, return next Saturday. Brabin referred to both Mekki and Jackson’s injuries as ‘knocks’ in his post-match conference after Grimsby so there is hope they will both be fit to play on Tuesday.
The Opposition Dugout:
Barry Smith took charge of Aldershot Town in the summer on a one-year rolling contract. Smith took over from player-captain-caretaker manager Chris Barker who’d been placed in charge following the termination of Andy Scott’s contract. Holding a UEFA Pro License, Smith joined Aldershot following success at both Alloa, and despite financial constraints, at Dundee also. His aim for this season with Aldershot is to reach the playoffs, and currently they aren’t much further away than Tranmere. He’ll be keen to get three points on Tuesday and edge that bit closer to the top.
One To Watch:
Richard Brodie (28) - Striker (English)
Richard Brodie has made a career out of playing non-league football, signing from Southport in the summer. The 28-year old started his football career playing for Whickham and then Newcastle Benfield before impressing and signing for York City (in the Conference National at the time). After scoring fifty-three goals in 135 appearances, Brodie moved onto Crawley with loan spells at Fleetwood and Morecambe. In 2013, he signed for Gateshead with more loans to Hereford and Southport. The loan to Southport was eventually made permanent and Brodie went on to make 54 appearances and score thirteen goals. He was Aldershot’s top scorer this season with five goals but has been overtaken by Chris Walker thanks to his brace on Saturday.
Other player of note within the Aldershot team include Cheye Alexander, formerly of West Ham and Port Vale, who can play right back or right midfield and has already netted three goals this season as well as ex-Rovers defender Sean McGinty currently plays for Aldershot, after signing in the summer following a loan from Rochdale. McGinty spent time at Prenton Park in 2013 but his loan was cut short after he failed to show up for training. McGinty has the illustrious honour of being the last player to have their United contract terminated by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Players to have played for both teams including current Tranmere players Marlon Jackson, mentioned previously and Adam Mekki who spent time with The Shots between 2009 and 2014 making 88 appearances for them.
Around The League:
This Tuesday has another full set of fixtures for the National League:
Forest Green vs Cheltenham: Forest Green’s impressive form has taken some what of a nose dive over the last few games, here’s hoping they resume normal service this week and knock Cheltenham’s confidence ahead of Rovers’ visit to Whaddon Road on Saturday.
Bromley vs Kidderminster: Sitting just above Rovers in the table, Bromley play host to bottom of the table Kidderminster. A win for Kidderminster would be nice for Rovers, especially since Bromley will visit Prenton Park at the start of October.
Wrexham vs Grimsby: Wrexham have enjoyed a great start to the season and this week will take on Grimsby (another team on 17 points with Rovers). A Wrexham win (however hard that is for some Rovers’ fans to take) would again be handy for Tranmere, provided we win against Aldershot.
My Starting XI:
Davies
Iheikwie Sutton Holness Hill
Dawson Harris Jennings Ridehalgh
Norwood Mangan
With Riley only just returning to training this week following injury and Hogan out with concussion, Marcus Holness will inevitably keep his place in the side. Despite his some what ropey performances, I’m reliably informed that he actually had a solid game on Friday so here’s hoping the fans get behind him and send out some positive vibes. Brabin has yet to loan a right back (any day now would be good thanks Gary!) so Mike will have to start in that position.
With both Mekki and Jackson going off injured on Friday, Dawson and Ridehalgh come in on the wings. When on the ball, Dawson has some superb ability and can beat a man (or two as he did at Southport). Ridehalgh, whilst not the quickest, does have a decent delivery on him and offers some defensive cover for Hill when we don’t have the ball. Against Chester and Southport, there were glimpses of a partnership emerging between Mangan and Norwood and that is a partnership that can only get better the more they play together.
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20/09/2015 22:06
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