By Jimmy Nolan
April 29 2022

Here we are then. No more home matches left after our game against already relegated Oldham. Nothing to play for, no chance of the play offs, nothing. To say this is a disappointment is an understatement. 

Since January our form has been catastrophic, dropping down the table like a stalagmite at ice station zebra. The turning point felt like the drubbing given to us by Forest Green, who played us off the park and showed how good you have to be to get promoted. We never looked anywhere near the same quality at any point in the season. Too harsh? The table doesn't lie. We were also rans since that defeat.

Saturday will see two of my favourite players make their final home appearances, in all probability. Rumour has it that Kieron Morris will be off to pastures new. At the same time Jay Spearing is unlikely to be offered a new contract. Both can hold their heads up high for the contributions they've made. Kieron has huge skill, Jay has huge commitment. Both, for different reasons will be missed. Good luck fellas in whatever comes next for you.

I could ask what has gone wrong this season? Doubtless people will point to the fact that we are not in the same situation as Oldham, about to drop out of the League for the first time. For me though, that's not really a consolation. This season offered so much and delivered so little. The 2nd coming of Saint Micky the Mellon did not deliver resurrection. Much of our football has been turgid, we have mastered the side ways pass and the 1-1 draw, but the season is ending in failure. Some have argued that Mellon should go, others that he has been unlucky. Whatever the truth, most of us expected better.

Next season kicks off on 30th July. A gap of about 14 weeks without competitive League football here. Many of our players will depart. The alarming nature of the modern game is that there is always a churn, you spend the first couple of months of the new season trying to learn the names of players who have told us when they signed 'playing for Tranmere fills me with excitement', but then they drift off, soon to be forgotten, their contribution sporadic, their signing a mystery. 

This should have been a World Cup summer, but instead the tournament will take place in November. Going to be hard getting a football fix in the interim. I'm sure we'll all be back here when the kick off comes. Let's hope in 12 months time we're all still here, and we're celebrating going up as Champions.