Tranmere failed to impress under the Sky Sports cameras as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat against league leaders Wycombe Wanderers.
Rovers faced Wanderers for the second time in only a week, with Micky Mellon’s side hoping they improve on the stalemate in last weekend’s FA Cup clash.
Mellon only made one change to his side’s starting-eleven, as Darren Potter came in to replace Neil Danns, ruled out due to international-duty with Guyana.
Immediately after kick-off, Rovers were eager to put the pressure on early. Rushian Hepburn-Murphy found space on the edge of the area, but only managed to shake the side-netting.
Despite the fast start which Tranmere tried to implement, the game preceded to slow down, with the next major chance coming on the ten-minute mark. A sweeping free kick from Jake Caprice found Jennings free in the box, however he could only direct his header into the hands of Allsop.
Wycombe’s Curtis Thompson found some luck on the right-hand side, using his quick feet to find a way around Rovers left-back, Liam Ridehalgh. He directed a cross towards an unmarked Adebayo Akinfenwa, however his close-range header was easily collected by Davies.
On the twenty-minute mark, Wanderers had a serious penalty shout denied as Kashket appeared to be hacked down in the box, however referee John Busby was quick to wave away the claims.
After a 15-minute spell bereft of chances, Wycombe had the best opportunity of the game so far, as a delightful pass from Thompson found the feet of Jennings. Manny Monthe managed divert his leg in the way of the striker’s turn before he could get a shot away, which almost certainly would have found the back of the net.
Despite this close-call, after 43 minutes, Wanderers broke the deadlock. The infamous Adebayo Akinfenwa found himself in acres of space in the box, following a pin-point cross from Jacobson. The 37-year old striker directed a bullet header into the bottom left corner, wrong-footing goalkeeper Scott Davies.
To pile on the misery for Rovers, only two minutes later and on the brink of half-time, Wanderers were awarded a penalty following a push from Sid Nelson. Set-piece specialist, Joe Jacobson, confidently stepped up and slotted down the middle after Scott Davies wrongfully dived to his left. Wycombe had now well and truly found their mojo and proving their credentials as promotion challengers.
As Panic by The Smiths blared out of the speakers, Rovers took to the field for the second half, keen for this not to be an omen for the following 45 minutes.
In hope of turning the result around, Micky Mellon made a double substitution, introducing Morgan Ferrier and Corey Blackett-Taylor in place of David Perkins and Liam Ridehalgh respectively.
Wanderers still had the momentum going into the second half, creating a couple of half-chances early on. Scott Davies was forced to get down low and make a close-range save after Matt Bloomfield found himself in space and made a low drive.
Despite a lively home support, Rovers still struggled to create any chances. The introduction of Blackett-Taylor and Ferrier added some much-needed pace in attack, however without a recognised striker on the field they struggled to hold the ball up effectively and cause problems for the solid Wycombe defence.
As a final throw of the dice, Mellon replaced Rushian Hepburn-Murphy with Paul Mullin, no-doubt hoping to finally cause Wanderers some problems.
After a spell of half-chances, Rovers had their closest effort of the game, as Ferrier danced around his marker to find Blackett-Taylor on the edge of the box. The winger attempted a curled effort, which bounced around the box before being cleared for a throw-in. Ferrier went close again shortly after, with a pass having too much pace for him to poke home.
Blackett-Taylor continued to cause problems, as he was once again unmarked on the edge of the box. Despite the space, however, his curled strike nestled safely in the hands of Ryan Allsop.
Rovers’ spell of constant pressure continued, with Caprice finding Kieron Morris in a dangerous position at the edge of the box. He laid off for Connor Jennings, who beat his man well, but was only able to find the solid hands of Allsop with his strike.
Tranmere were quickly running out of time, but were certainly showing that they had spirit against one of the league’s best sides. An onlooking Joey Barton, no doubt scouting the home side for his visit with Fleetwood on the 23rd November, will have to be cautious of Rovers as they will certainly have more luck against the teams around them in the league.
In the final ten minutes, Wycombe regained control of the game and made sure to see out the match with a clean sheet. A fierce strike from Morris was still not enough to beat the solid Allsop, who hadn’t looked like conceding all day.
Referee John Busby’s final whistle was met with loud cheers from the impressive travelling support, as Gareth Ainsworth’s visitors returned to Buckinghamshire with all three points and their place at the top of the table.
During the pre-match warm up, Rovers donned special t-shirts in order to raise awareness of domestic abuse. For more information, visit https://www.itsneverokwirral.org/
