By Deadly Submarine
April 1 2006

A first Tranmere goal from Carl Tremarco and a winning strike from Huddersfield born Rovers striker Delroy Facey saw Rovers take all three points in another exciting Friday night encounter at Prenton Park that sees Rovers into the top half of the table for the time being.

 

Tremarco 3                                                              Graham 48

Facey 84

 

Zola Sent Off 20

Attendance: 8,300

 

Don’t you just love Friday Night Football at Prenton Park?  Once again the Rovers fans were given a Saturday without the usual fix of football but it was many Rovers fans would always choose a Friday Night game over a Saturday Afternoon one and this game was a prime of example of just why Rovers love playing on Friday Nights in front of their own fans.

 

Rovers began the brighter of the two teams and took a deserved lead after just three minutes through Carl Tremarco’s first ever goal for the Club but just when Rovers looked capable of adding more goals, Calvin Zola stepped forward as the villain with a dangerous two-footed challenge that saw him deservedly sent-off after just twenty minutes. 

 

The visitors equalised just two minutes into the second half but Rovers rallied and thanks to great substitutions and a change of tactics by Brian Little, the ship was steadied and Rovers were able to snatch a late winner through substitute Delroy Facey who heaped disappointment on his home town Club just six minutes from time.

 

Brian Little once again switched his formation from the last game, this time opting for a 4-4-2  using wingers Carl Tremarco and Sam Aiston who came in for Ian Goodison and Mark Rankine who had started last week at Bradford.  Calvin Zola replaced Delroy Facey upfront.

 

Just a couple of minutes into the game, Tremarco had a chance to put Rovers ahead but his effort went wide but just a minute later his miss was forgotten as he put Rovers 1-0 up after just three minutes of the game.

 

The build-up to the goal began with Rovers goalkeeper Dino Seremet whose long ball forward was headed on by Zola to Sam Aiston on the right hand side.  Aiston crossed the ball into the danger zone and it eventually reached Carl Tremarco at the far post from where he slotted the ball past Senior in the Terriers goal for his first ever Rovers goal and Tranmere’s first in 385 minutes of football.

 

Rovers didn’t let up the pressure after taking the lead and with Aiston and Tremarco looking threatening on the wings and Greenacre and Zola combining well upfront things were looking promising for Rovers as chances for Zola and Greenacre went begging.

 

Gareth Roberts looked to have been felled in the penalty area after twenty minutes but the referee was having none of it and just a minute later Calvin Zola killed an exciting first half by getting sent-off.

 

Zola challenged Michael Collins for the ball on the touchline but went in two-footed on the Town player who was already on the floor after challenging for the ball.  The referee had no option but to send Zola off and despite some cries of “ He never touched him ref” from the Stands, it was the correct decision.

 

The correct decision it may have been but the sending off of Calvin Zola killed off what had been a promising game of football, particularly from the home side as Rovers were forced to play with just Chris Greenacre upfront on his home for the remainder of the first half.

 

The loss of a man and the subsequent change of formation for Rovers, shifted the game pattern and now it was the visitors having the better of the game with first Pawel Abbott and then early substitute Gary Taylor-Fletcher seeing shots go wide of Seremet’s goal.

 

Roberts curled a free-kick wide in the 41^st minute and Rovers survived at the other end to ensure they went in at the break still ahead.

 

At half-time, Town manager Peter Jackson replaced Pawel Abbott with Andy Booth and it took just two minutes for the visitors to grab an equaliser.  Dino Seremet punched the ball clear when perhaps he could have caught it and the danger was only half cleared.  The ball was headed back across the area by Taylor-Fletcher and David Graham stabbed the ball home from close range.

 

Danny Harrison fired over the top from long-range for Rovers before the home side made two changes as manager Brian Little took a gamble.  Delroy Facey and Jason McAteer replaced wingers Sam Aiston and Carl Tremarco who had both had decent games as Rovers moved to a 4-3-2 formation with Facey partnering Greenacre in attack.

 

The game had become a very open and exciting affair at chances fell for both sides as the half wore on.  Steven Jennings replaced Steven O’Leary after 72 minutes but it looked like neither side would make the crucial breakthrough.

 

On 79 minutes Seremet produced a fine save from the head of Andy Booth to keep his side in it and just seven minutes later Rovers scored what proved to be the winning goal.  It was almost as if the script had been written as Huddersfield born Delroy Facey, who also began his career with the Terriers ran to a pass from Harrison and fired home from around twenty yards before running to the bench to celebrate.

 

A couple of late chances for the visitors came to nothing and Rovers held out through four minutes of injury time for a much needed and deserved win.  The win was deserved for the effort that the players showed both before and after Zola’s Red Card.

 

Next up is the long trip to face struggling Gillingham next Saturday (February 11th) – Kick-Off 3.00pm but Rovers will surely be confident of a positive result based on tonights result and performance.

 

 

Simon Francis:  Once again the defence as a whole looked good with Sharps and Jackson playing well but Simon Francis, particularly in the second half, showed why he is soon wanted back by his Championship Club Sheffield United with another great performance.

 

 

Tranmere Rovers:  Seremet, Francis, Jackson, Sharps, Roberts, Aiston (McAteer 57), O'Leary (Jennings 75), Harrison, Tremarco (Facey 57), Zola, Greenacre.

Substitutes Not Used: Wilson, Goodison.

Huddersfield Town:  Senior, Holdsworth, Nathan Clarke, McIntosh, Adams (Taylor-Fletcher 24), Brandon, Collins, Worthington, Smith, Graham, Abbott (Booth 45).

Substitutes Not Used: Rachubka, Mirfin, Tom Clarke.

Booked: Aiston (Tranmere), Collins and Holdsworth (Huddersfield)

 

Sent Off: Zola (Tranmere)

Referee: Howard Webb (Yorkshire)

Brian Little Speaking the Tranmere Rovers Official Website:

"They had a lot of possession which was worrying us and we had to work hard.  We started really well and until Calvin was off we felt we might get another one.  It really did change the shape of the game. It was one of those games where you are on edge for the whole time as they have players who can cause you a problem. Having said that Dino didn't have a to save.

     

"Their goal early in the second half forced us to do something which was a bit of a gamble but it came off for us. In the end Del scored a really good goal to win it.”

 

"It is a good result for us and irrespective of how they've played, everybody has worked hard. The spirit among the players was fantastic and tonight substitutions worked for us.  "We had a definite gameplan. After we played them up there, we said we needed to get at them down the flanks and Sam and Carl are two of our quicker players. The team was picked with a specific aim in mind knowing we had Jason to come on and pass it if we needed, and Del was a good sub for us.  The line up gave us options on the bench."

     

 

"Danny (Harrison) and Steve (O’Leary) have good energy and are very enthusiastic.  Both of them can play.  We have played Jason in the last three or four games but I wanted to see how the first half hour went.  Jason sitting among the two lads brought us back into the game and we needed to put two up front as the ball was coming back at us too much."

     

Speaking of the tackle that saw Calvin Zola sent off, Brian Little said;  "It was a poor tackle. He jumped in with two feet but has genuinely not tried to hurt the lad. The referee made the right decision."