At this point of the season, one result can change the mood of a fanbase completely.
After beating Cheltenham 2-0 on Friday night, Tranmere’s first win by more than a single goal since February 2024, there was a confidence about Prenton Park.
Tranmere were nine points clear of the relegation zone ahead of the games on Saturday.
Following last night’s round of fixtures, the gap had been cut to four, and nerves were starting to show among supporters once again.
Since taking over from Nigel Adkins in late February, interim manager Andy Crosby has rejuvenated the squad and engendered a sense of belief that relegation was not some inescapable inevitability.
A draw against Port Vale kicked off Crosby’s tenure, and when Bromley were beaten 2-1 to record a first win since January 4, Tranmere travelled to second place Bradford looking to extend what was now the club’s longest unbeaten run since October.
Bradford had won their previous ten home matches in a row, while Tranmere had only just ended their own ten game losing streak away from home when they drew 1-1 at Grimsby.
The form pointed towards a comfortable home win.
When Harvey Saunders went down in the box, and the referee pointed to the spot, Josh Hawkes put away what turned out to be a coupon-busting penalty.
A first away win since October 19 had been secured.
The team stuck to a similar shape that had been used by Adkins, but Crosby tweaked things slightly as well as changing some personnel.
A back three consisting of one proper centre back, a left back, and a right back/holding midfielder was unlikely to have been how Crosby envisaged his defence to look, however during the six game unbeaten run following his appointment, they performed admirably.
Hawkes, scorer of the winner at Valley Parade, was brought back in from the cold to play in one of the two number ten positions behind the front man.
The other number 10 spot was taken up by Regan Hendry, whose return from injury provided a much needed link to midfield and attack.
With a greater threat going forward, and the extemporised defence keeping things tight at the back, the threat of relegation, while not disappearing, was certainly abating.
Heading to Harrogate last night, it was a chance to pull another team into the relegation fight, and to move away from the third bottom position in the table they had occupied since mid-January.
As is often the case when teams enjoy unbeaten runs, a poor performance is never too far away.
The first 45 minutes at Wetherby Road was not entirely poor, but it was comfortably the worst half of football played under Crosby.
The physicality of Harrogate’s forwards unsettled Lee O’Connor, the right back/holding midfielder who had been in superb form recently, and had been given the captaincy with Tom Davies out injured.
Without wanting to sound like Princess Leia, O’Connor is a little short for a typical centre back, and Harrogate looked to exploit that.
Connor Wood, enjoying a run of good form while playing as the left sided centre back, is also on the shorter side.
When he was caught slightly under a high ball midway through the second half, Tranmere’s unbeaten run looked over, and relegation again homed into view.
That goal made it 2-0 to the hosts. A free kick just three minutes later got Tranmere back into the game.
Hendry bending a dipping effort from a tight angle cut the arrears to one with half an hour remaining.
Rather frustratingly, a rocket from Ben Fox, following a blocked free kick, restored the home side’s two goal cushion.
Almost immediately, Tranmere struck back, with Omari Patrick scoring a third wonder goal of the evening. His curling 20-yard goal had Tranmere back in the hunt for an equaliser with 15 minutes left.
It looked as though the away team’s pressure was going to pay off, as Sam Taylor’s cross was handled by Warren Burrell and the clock ticked over into added time.
Sadly, Hawkes, the penalty hero at Bradford, sent his spot kick wide of the post, and Harrogate took the spoils.
It was a performance full of effort, endeavour and some neat and tidy football, and certainly should do little to dent the confidence accrued during the unbeaten start to Crosby’s spell.
With Morecambe, directly below Tranmere, winning, and Harrogate moving away from the drop zone with their victory, the precarious nature of confidence at the end of the season was laid bare once more.
With six games to go, the battle to retain Football League status continues.
