Tranmere Rovers
Walsall vs. Tranmere Rovers match preview
By Matthew Jones
August 9 2010
Total Tranmere brings you all the stats, facts and team news ahead of Tranmere's League Cup first round match at the Bescott Stadium
Copyright Historical Football Kits and reproduced by kind permission.
The League Cup kicks off this week, with an interesting draw pitting many lower league clubs against higher placed opposition.
Tranmere Rovers will be one of several teams in the draw hoping to progress to the second round of the tournament and be handed a money spinning second round tie.
However, Les Parry's side face the tough task of over coming fellow League One side Walsall at the Bescott Stadium in the first round of the tournament, a game which will be a tough test for both sides and will hopefully produce a good game of football.
Walsall Factfile:
Ground: The Bescot Stadium
Formed: 1888
Nickname: The Saddlers
Manager: Chris Hutchins
League Finish 2009/10: 10th
Kit
Colours: Red shirt with black trim, red shorts and socks (home), aqua blue shirt with red trim, aqua blue shorts and dark blue socks (away)
Previous Meetings:
Walsall completed the double against Tranmere Rovers last season, beating Rovers by a one goal margin in both of the two meetings between the two sides.
The first time the two teams met was at Prenton Park on September 12th when John Barnes was still in charge of the club.
Despite a spirited display, Tranmere lost the game 3-2 in front of less than 5,000 fans at Prenton Park.
Tranmere took the lead after just eleven minutes when winger Chris Shuker chipped the ball over 'keeper Gilmartin from inside the area after running on to Craig Curran's pass.
On the stroke of half time however Darren Byfield equalised for Walsall, netting from close range before just two minutes after the break Deeney handed the visitors the lead as he fired into the bottom corner from eight yards.
Tranmere equalised just after the hour mark when Alan Mahon's long range effort deflected of Kithson Bain's back and went into the net, but Rovers couldn't hold on as Deeney netted his second minute of the game just seven minutes from time, as he tapped home at the back post from Nicholls' cross.
At the Bescott Stadium in April it was a similar story for Tranmere, as despite taking the lead in the match, they went on to lose.
Rovers, now managed by Les Parry, took the lead on 27 minutes when Gareth Edds' cross was put into his own net by Walsall defender Manny Smith.
Smith however redeemed himself only a few minutes later when he headed home unmarked from Jones' corner just before half time.
Both teams pushed forward for the winner, but sadly for Rovers it wasn't them who got the next and most decisive goal, with Walsall scoring the winner with twenty minutes left, Darren Byfield the scorer as he netted his second goal of the season against the Prenton Park side.
Vital Stats:
Tranmere Rovers have won just six of their 31 away games against Walsall, with the Saddlers winning on twenty occasions
In their meetings at Walsall, the Saddlers have scored twice as many goals as Tranmere, netting 56 times to Tranmere's 28
Despite having played each other 62 times, these two sides, before this fixture, have never previously met in a cup competition
Walsall have managed three successive wins over Tranmere on three previous occasions, an achievement they will match if they win this fixture
These two sides have only previously met once in August fixtures, with Walsall winning 2-0 on August 26 1972
On This Day:
2004: Brian Little's Tranmere win 2-1 at home to Hartlepool United, with Chris Dagnall scoring the winner for Rovers, his first goal for the club
2002: Jason Koumas, Simon Haworth (x2) and Graham Allen score as Tranmere run riot at Vale Park, beating Port Vale 4-1
1999: John Aldridge's Tranmere lose 2-1 at Bloomfield Road against Blackpool in a League Cup tie, with Rovers going on to finish runners up in the competition that season
Tranmere
have played four previous games on August 10th, picking up three wins and no defeats. In these four matches, they have scored nine goals and conceded just four.
The Form Book:
Walsall started the season with a 2-1 defeat at home to MK Dons on Saturday, a result that leaves them in eighteenth place following the opening day results.
The defeat matched their recent form as Chris Hutchins' side failed to win any of their pre-season matches.
The Saddlers however did play plenty of higher league opposition in their pre-season friendlies, as they met local sides Aston Villa, Coventry City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, losing the games 2-1, 2-0 and 4-0, as they tested a new 4-3-3 formation.
In their final pre-season match however Walsall did finally have some success, drawing 1-1 with League Two side Port Vale.
Pre-season for Walsall also saw plenty of movement in the transfer window, although there were several more outgoing players than there were of those coming in.
The highest profile transfer for the Saddlers was the departure of star striker Troy Deeney, who joined Championship side Watford for £500,000 just hours before the start of the season.
Other out going players have included Sam Parkin, Clayton Ince and former Tranmere transfer target Mark Hughes, whilst players who've moved to the club include Aaron Lescott from Bristol Rovers, Ryan McGivern from Manchester City and Oliver Lancashire from Southampton.
Tranmere Rovers also started their season with a 2-1 defeat on Saturday, as Les Parry's side lost against Oldham at Prenton Park despite a late goal from Ian Thomas-Moore.
The defeat followed what was an inconsistent pre-season for the Wirral side, with a handful of wins mixed in with disappointing draws and defeats.
Tranmere, who never had a settled side throughout pre-season due to injuries and a large number of trialists playing to impress, started with two 2-2 draws against local None League sides Heswall and Cammell Laird on the same night.
They followed these games with further draws against Colywn Bay and Mansfield, as well as a defeat against Shrewsbury, though no doubt the highlight of the pre-season results was a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest, when Nick Wood and Ian Thomas-Moore both scored headed goals.
Other results for Tranmere this summer saw them lose 3-2 to Altrincham, 2-0 to Liverpool and 2-1 to Chester, although all of these games involved very few first team players, whilst they also beat Marine 3-2.
League Cup History:
Tranmere Rovers have been successful in the League Cup in the last sixteen years, having a couple of successful runs in the competition.
In the 1999/2000 season, John Aldridge's Tranmere beat the likes of Middlebrough (2-1), Coventry (5-1), Bolton (3-0 and 1-0) and Barnsley (4-0) in the competition as they made it all the way to the final, eventually losing 2-1 to Leicester City at Wembley.
Just six years earlier, Tranmere, managed by John King, also reached the semi-final of the competition, losing controversially to Aston Villa in the last four of the competition.
Recent years though have seen Rovers struggle in the competition. Last year they did reach the second round following a 4-0 win over League Two Grimsby, but this was the first time they'd won a match in the tournament since the 2004/05 season, when they were knocked out at the second round stage by Premier League Portsmouth.
Walsall have also had some success in this tournament in the past, including progressing to the semi-final of the competition in 1983/84, a run that saw them beat First Division side Arsenal before losing 4-2 on aggregate to Liverpool.
They also reached the fourth round of the competition in 1997/98, but in recent years have struggled as much as Tranmere in the competition, not passing the first round of the competition since the 2006/07 season and winning just one of their last seven games in the competition.
Double Hit:
Tranmere Rovers legend David Kelly started his career with Walsall and became a firm fan favourite with the Saddlers fans during his five year stint with the club. The Birmingham born striker scored 80 goals for the club in 190 appearances for the club, form that earned him a big money move to West Ham in 1988.
Over the next nine years, Kelly made regular big money transfers, as he played for Sunderland, Newcastle, Leicester City and Wolves, transfering for a total of £2,800,000 (including his move to West Ham) and scoring 116 goals for the five clubs, becoming a renowned goalscoring in English football.
At Sunderland however, the goals dried up. After moving to the club for £900,000 in September 1995, he played 40 games for the club and scored just two goals, leading to him leaving the club for Tranmere Rovers in 1997 for £350,000.
Kelly's move to Tranmere, then managed by John Aldridge, who knew Kelly from his days as an Ireland international, was a masterstroke. The striker became a firm fan favourite at Prenton Park and he cemented his place in Tranmere history thanks to his strike against Leicester City in the Worthington Cup final at Wembley.
Kelly stayed at Prenton Park for three years, making 112 appearances for the club and scoring 35 goals, thirteen of which came in seventeen League Cup appearances!
After his contract expired on the Wirral, he moved to Sheffield United on a free-transfer, and later had spells with Motherwell and Mansfield at a player, before retiring and moving into coaching, when he rejoined Tranmere as assistant manager and has since spent time at Sheffield United, Preston and Derby, before moving to Nottingham Forest, where he is currently assistant to Billy Davis.
One To Watch:
Striker Darren Byfield has played for several clubs at this level, but he appears to have settled at Walsall and has been named the clubs captain for this season.
The striker is currently in his second spell with the club, having played at the Bescott Stadium between 2000 and 2002.
He joined the club from Aston Villa, where he had progressed through the youth ranks but failed to ever make an impression on the first team, and moved to the Bescott after loan spells at Preston, Northampton, Cambridge and Blackpool.
He played 92 times for Walsall in his first spell, scoring seventeen goals, before moving on to Rotherham for £50,000 in 2002.
Managed by Ronnie Moore whilst at the Millers, Byfield stayed with Rotherham for two years, scoring 23 goals in 74 games, his most profitable goal scoring period at any club (in one spell).
In 2004 Byfield left Rotherham in a swap deal with Sunderland and six months later was on the move again, joining Gillingham, where he netted twenty times in 71 games, and then joining Millwall two years later.
He lasted at Millwall for a year, before joining Bristol City, and then had unsuccessful spells with Doncaster Rovers and Oldham before joining Walsall on a free-transfer last summer.
He was Walsall's second top scorer last season as he had a profitable year, netting ten times in 40 games as he helped Walsall to tenth place in League One.
Nearly 34, Byfield is now the man leading Walsall's strike force, and has the extra responsability of being the club captain this season.
Pace may not be his forte these days, but the Walsall number nine still has a keen eye for goals and is a definite player to mark closely in the penalty area.
League Cup First Round:
The
League Cup first round draw has thrown up a number of interesting ties this season, with many lower league sides looking to produce upsets against higher league opposition. Here are the best of this weeks first round matches:
Stevenage vs. Portsmouth
Aldershot vs. Watford
Chesterfield vs. Middlesbrough
Crewe vs. Derby
Exeter vs. Ipswich
Leeds United vs. Lincoln City
Oxford United vs. Bristol Rovers
Queens Park Rangers vs. Port Vale
Stockport vs. Preston North End
Swansea vs. Barnet
Yeovil vs. Crystal Palace
Team News:
Joss Labadie and Ian Goodison both came through Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Oldham unscathed, and should once again appear for Rovers on Tuesday night.
However, Rovers are going to be without midfielder Alan Mahon and defender Ash Taylor, who are both long term absentee's, whilst Marlon Broomes and Timothy Cathalina are likely to miss out again.
Joe Collister is also set to start in goal for Tranmere as on-loan shot-stopper Gunnar Nielsen is set to play for the Faoe Islands in their Euro 2012 qualifying match against Estonia on Wednesday.
Striker Dale Jennings could be named amongst the Tranmere substitutes for the first time though if he has shaken off a knock picked up last week.
Jones' Prediction: Walsall 1-2 Tranmere Rovers
This will be a really tough game for Tranmere, without doubt, but the departure of Troy Deeney has had a negative effect at the Bescott Stadium, with the transfer of the striker to Walsall really upsetting Chris Hutchins' tactics and forward line following a full pre-season with the striker in the side.
I feel therefore that Tranmere really could sneak a win in this match and progress to the second round of the competition.
However, Rovers must start Ryan Fraughan, in my opinion, if they are to be successful in this fixture, with Rovers' performance clearly lifted when the young midfielder came on as a second half substitute against Oldham on Saturday.
Fraughan added pace and skill to Rovers' attacking options on Saturday, with Tranmere livening up attacking wise when he came on.
Rovers also must take better set pieces in the match. They have a big side now, with the likes of Showunmi, Goodison, Labadie and Wood all players who should dominate in the air due to their height, and all players who could have chances for Tranmere from corners and free-kicks.
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09/08/2010 12:32
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its my second visit to Banks stadium.
sing are hearts out for the lads, and i pray no one gives moore stick he give 100 percent on pitch no matter what get behind him and the team, because fans who do give him stick your proberly forcing him out even moore ( see what a done there more/moore)
10/08/2010 15:51
11/08/2010 00:04
and you,
were you at the game today?
I think we deserved to win overall, but had to many sloppy periods,
we've got no experience down the middle,
relegation straaglers together,
