Tranmere Rovers
Match Preview: Tranmere Rovers v Dover Athletic
By Louise Formston
October 29 2015
As Tranmere prepare for their game at home to Dover Athletic on Saturday afternoon, Louise Formston returns with her match preview ahead of the game.....
Rovers will play their third game in seven days this weekend as they welcome Dover Athletic to Prenton Park. After losing to Lincoln City on Tuesday in their FA Cup Replay, Tranmere will look to get their league campaign back on track on Saturday whilst Dover will be hoping to capitalise on their win over Eastborough Whites last Saturday which has seen them drawn at home in the First Round of the FA Cup.
Form Guide:
With just five points separating Rovers and top of the table Forest Green Rovers, a win this weekend could really point Tranmere in the right direction. The Super Whites have lost just two of their last ten games, with five wins during that period. Dover meanwhile, find themselves sitting in third three points ahead of Rovers.
Similarly to Tranmere, Dover have lost two of their last ten league games but have won six during the same period. On top of that, by Saturday Dover will have enjoyed a seven day rest period between their last game and their trip to Prenton Park whilst Rovers had an away trip in midweek as they took on Lincoln. This weekend will be a test for Rovers as fans wait to see if they can put FA Cup heartbreak behind them and focus on promotion.
Injuries and Suspensions:
This section is my least favourite to write – it just reminds me how depleted our team is likely to be come Saturday....
Adam Dawson is still out and it’s probably safe to assume he’ll be out for a while, and it is horribly obvious that we’re missing his creativity on the wing. Meanwhile Andy Mangan may return on Saturday after missing out the last few games through injury. Mangan took his place on the bench on Tuesday night but Gary Brabin has since revealed Magan was never intended to play.
Gary Taylor-Fletcher also missed out on Tuesday night after picking up a knock against Lincoln – all part of their game plan to beat us in a replay if you ask me! However, Taylor-Fletcher has tweeted (I know, Twitter is such a reliable source) that he’ll be back on Saturday. Adam Mekki is another who didn’t make the trip to Lincoln on Tuesday after he was subbed off on Saturday with a back injury.
Mekki could return as early as Saturday but it’s not looking likely. Suspension wise, Rovers will be without goalkeeper Scott Davies who received a red card after handling the ball outside of the box (again). Jay Harris is also likely to miss out after picking up his fifth booking of the season on Tuesday night.
Dover, on the other hand, are blessed with almost a full squad and I expect them to name an unchanged side from their win last Saturday. Only Liam Bellamy is set to miss out as he’s a long-term injury for Dover after sustaining ligament damage last month.
The Opposition Dugout:
Chris Kinnear is the current manager of Dover Atheltic, having taken up the position in January 2013. Kinnear (not related to Joe Kinnear of Newcastle) is a former footballer himself, having played for West Ham, Barnet and Dover Athletic; he had a reasonable playing career. However, it is as Manager he’s really made a name for himself.
During his first stint as Dover manager in the late 80s/early 90s, Kinnear oversaw a series of promotions that resulted in Dover taking their place in the Conference, winning a few pieces of silverware in the process - Kent Senior Cup, Premier Inter League Cup and Southern League Cup all in 1991. After leaving the club in around 1996, Kinnear moved to Margate and helped them achieve promotion to the Conference.
A brief spell as a scout for Wolves, Kinnear returned to Margate in 2011 before he eventually made the move back to Dover in 2013. In that first half a season back at Crabble, Kinnear led Dover to the Conference South Play Off Final which they narrowly lost. Last season, a one-nil win on the final day was enough to see Dover return to the Conference for the first time since 2002.
One to Watch:
Stefan Payne (23) - Striker:
Stefan Payne is currently Dover’s top scorer with nine goals in all competitions this season. Payne signed from Hornchurch in July 2014, and scored sixteen goals in that first season with Dover. Payne himself, as spent time in higher divisions with Gillingham, Macclesfield and Aldershot. Payne’s most recent goal came against Maccesfield on the 17th October in a game which Dover won 2-1.
Others to watch in the Dover side include Nicky Deverdics, a midfielder whose been with Dover since 2013. Deverdics has scored six so far this season including one in that game against Macclesfield. Goalkeeper Mitch Walker and defenders Richard Orlu and Jamie Grimes are the only three players in Dovers’ squad to have played in all eighteen games this season.
Adam Mekki is a former Dover player, however his move down south last season didn’t work out well, with Mekki featuring in just one game for the club before leaving in the summer and signing for Rovers.
Around the League:
Grimsby vs Cheltenham: This fixture is taking place on Friday night but holds some value for Rovers fans, a win for Grimsby would see the gap close between the top two teams whilst a win for Cheltenham could push the top of the table out of reach.
Forest Green vs Chester: Top of the table FGR take on Chester as FGR hope to claim back that space they had between themselves and the rest of the table. Meanwhile Chester have sank into mid-table obscurity but they are still only five points off the play offs.
Lincoln City vs Bromley: Bromley are just below Rovers in the table on equal points, whilst Rovers’ next league game will be against Lincoln who sit on twenty-nine points in seventh. I think a draw is the best thing we can hope for here.
My Starting XI:
Turner
Sutton Riley Hogan Hill
Jackson Jennings Maynard Ridehalgh
Taylor-Fletcher Norwood
Despite letting in two goals on Tuesday, Turner had a good game by all accounts even saving a penalty so he is the obvious choice to remain between the sticks. Whilst Maynard had a pretty solid game at right back last Saturday, with just a few mistakes, he is much better in midfield so Sutton should return at right back. Riley is no worse than any of our other defenders, same for Hogan so I feel the less we rotate the back four the better.
Hill remains, he’s a calming influence on the pitch although I think our home game against Lincoln might have been his worst performance all season – yet we finished 0-0?! Jackson and Ridehalgh to remain on the wings as both Mekki and Dawson are unlikely to return. With Taylor-Fletcher saying he’s fit again, I’d like to think he’ll start with Norwood as they can hopefully forge a partnership – glimpses of one have been spotted the last few games.
To check out the other sides’ view of Saturday’s game the official Dover preview can be found on THIS LINK.
EDIT: Since writing the Preview it’s become clear that Rovers have signed Barnet striker Ben Tomlinson on loan. Tomlinson spent a month on loan with Grimsby this season, even featuring in our game against them, but didn’t make a significant impact. Last season Tomlinson scored fourteen goals (down on the eighteen he scored the year before) for Lincoln City in the Conference before he signed for Barnet this summer.
I would expect Tomlinson to at least make the bench on Saturday, if not the starting eleven should Gary Taylor-Fletcher not be fit enough. Tomlinson can also play on the wing (so I’m led to believe) but it’s not his favoured position so there’s a possibility Brabin has finally realised Jackson is not the answer.
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29/10/2015 19:59
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