After a slow start to the game which saw Tom Beahon come closest to opening the scoring in the first minute, City took the lead at the Kop end just after the quarter hour mark. A City player got sandwiched in between Holmes and Cresswell, resulting in the referee awarding a free-kick and the resulting free-kick from Paul Marshall took a big deflection off the wall and left Shane McWeeny wrong footed as the ball span into the goal.
Rovers looked to equalise before half time and one moment of brilliant almost got them level. Terry Gornell, the leading scorer for the Rovers second string this season, collected the ball with back to goal and after a wonderful turn which took him away from the defender, he shot from 25-yards and forced Mentel into a good save.
Triallist Sluijter then came close with a header from Beahon's cross, forcing Mentel into another save, whilst Gornell dragged another shot wide.
The game was killed off by the City youngsters in the second half before the hour mark however as they first got a brilliant second before splitting open the Rovers defence to make it 3-0.
The first goal saw Angelos Tsialklis collect the ball on the Man City right before cutting in side past Cresswell and, from 20-yards level with the corner of the box, the youngster sent a brilliant shot across Shane McWeeny into the top corner.
Tsialklis was then again involved in the third as a Danny Holmes clearance went wrong and City broke for Tsialklis to pass to David Ball who made it 3-0 with 57-minutes gone.
After Fraughen and Wilson replaced Henry and MacAughley for Rovers, Shaun Garnett's side pressed and looked to get at least one of the three goals back.
However, any efforts were either weak and easily saved or sent wide of the target. Gornell in particular sent one good chance wide whilst Fraughen and Wilson both saw shots from outside the area comfortably saved. One surge forward from defender Danny Holmes also saw Rovers test the City 'keeper, however his shot in the end was not powerful and was saved by Mentel diving low to his left.
Rovers were weak in defence and were cut open too easily at times and it looked as it City would get a fourth but in the end they couldn't, mainly thanks to Shane McWeeny who made a magnficient one handed reaction save from a City header in the area from point blank range.
In the final minute Tranmere left-back Aaron Cresswell was sent off for a second yellow card by the referee.