|
Watched by a bumper Boxing Day crowd of over 8,500, with well over 1,000 fans making the journey south from Carlisle, there was a good atmosphere at Prenton Park as goals from Paul McLaren and Antony Kay gave Tranmere the win.
Ronnie Moore made three changes to the side that was unlucky to lose 1-0 at Luton at the weekend, as Paul Henry, Adnan Ahmed and the injured Gareth Taylor dropped out of the team to be replaced by Antony Kay and Paul McLaren, both returning from suspension, and Calvin Zola.
The game started slowly and the first real action of the match was the substitution of Chris Shuker as the winger limped off the field.
The Tranmere number 23, who has had a string of injuries so far this season, had the ball on the Tranmere right before he was tackled by Carlisle defender Richard Keogh. Keogh, on-loan from Bristol City, slid in to win the ball with two feet and, despite winning the ball, he left a foot in and badly caught Shuker on the knee.
The referee, Mr. G. Salisbury, didn't even award Rovers a free-kick when some referee's may have sent the player off for such a tackle.
When the ball eventually went out of play, Shuker recieved some treatment from Les Parry before limping off, replaced by another player on-loan from Bristol City, but this one at Tranmere, Jennison Myrie-Williams.
Two minutes later and the away side Carlisle had the first chance of the game. Aranalde, who was sent off against Tranmere a few seasons ago for an elbow on Michael Jackson, sent a deflected cross into the Tranmere penalty area. The ball looped into the air and the quickest to react to the deflection was Joe Garner who sent a header goalwards. However, the effort lacked power and Danny Coyne was able to reajust in the goal, diving to his right and catching the ball with his outstretched arms.
A minute later Rovers had their first chance as Myrie-Williams came into the game, running down the Carlisle right before cutting inside on to his left foot, running across the face of the penalty area and shooting, however his low shot curled well wide of the near post.
With 14-minutes gone Antony Kay headed over from a Paul McLaren free-kick before Rovers took the lead thanks to a deflected shot from McLaren.
Rovers won a corner on their left and McLaren played it short to Myrie-Williams. McLaren then ran to the edge of the penalty area where Myrie-Williams played it back to him. He then shot from 25-yards and the effort took a lucky and crucial deflection off the foot of former Rovers player David Raven, carrying it over the hapless Westwood and into the roof of the net.
With a 1-0 lead behind them, Tranmere suddenly had plenty of confidence and they pushed forward in search of a second goal as they looked to take control of the game.
McLaren first headed over from a Stockdale cross before Myrie-Williams made another threatening run down the right, bursting into the Carlisle penalty area where he put the ball through the legs of Aranalde before doing a "Maradonna" turn in the penalty area. However, he eventually lost possession and the danger was cleared.
Calvin Zola and more noticably Shane Sherriff then came into the game, as the Australian Sherriff had two efforts from distance but failed to add to Rovers' lead.
Firstly Zola held the ball up on the Tranmere left before passing the ball inside to Sherriff who hit a curling shot well wide of the far post from the edge of the area before Sherriff, found himself at the edge and more towards the centre of the penalty a few minutes later from another Zola lay-off. Although his shot was this time on target, it lacked power and was straight at 'keeper Kieran Westwood who comfortably saved.
On 37-minutes Westwood was called into action again as he this time expertly palmed a Sherriff free-kick over the bar, when the effort, taken 25-yards from goal and on the left of the area, appeared to be dipping under the cross bar, whilst Rovers came even closer to a second.
Chris Greenacre picked up the ball on the Tranmere left and broke into the penalty area. From a tight angle, Greenacre shot across goal and was hugely unlucky not to score as the ball bounced back off the post and rolled almost along the goal line before it was hooked clear by a Carlisle defender.
Goodison vollied the ball over from another Tranmere set-piece before Westwood pulled off another terrific diving stop from another set-piece, with Paul McLaren this time shooting from 25-yards but seeing his effort pushed wide. However, from the resulting corner, Tranmere doubled their advantage on the stroke of half time.
McLaren yet again took the corner and it was only cleared as far as Antony Kay, 15-yards from goal and level with Westwood's right-hand post. With his first touch, Kay got the ball under control with his chest, and as it dropped he chipped it over an on-rushing defender with his second touch. As he got his body round the player, Kay vollied the ball into the back of the net with his third touch, scoring a goal which must surely be a contender for Tranmere's goal of the season.
The goal was Kay's third of the season, and Tranmere have now won every game in which he has scored, with the ex-Barnsley man also scoring goals in the 2-1 wins over Luton Town and Chesterfield.
This was the final action of the half, as Tranmere went in to the interval leading 2-0. However, John Ward must have given the Carlisle team a real talking to at half-time, as the visitors came out all guns blazing after the break.
United dominated the first ten minutes of the second period, as the ball appeared to be stuck in the Tranmere half of the field. Carlisle won a string of corners and Tranmere simply couldn't clear the ball, with all headers and kicked-clearances going skywards as Rovers struggled to get any distance between the ball and Danny Coyne's goal.
Carlisle however failed to make the pressure count. The closest they came to scoring was from a Livesey header from a corner. The Carlisle player headed the ball downwards and under the body of Danny Coyne at the near post. It bounced up and was heading into the back of the net before Paul McLaren, guarding the post, smashed the ball clear.
From then on the half became more even, and Calvin Zola came close to getting a third for the home side on 57-minutes. The striker picked up the ball just inside the Carlisle half and after running at the defence, he hit a powerful, dipping shot from 25-yards. The ball bounced horrendously in front of the 'keeper, getting much more height than it ought to for the distance between where it hit the ground and the 'keeper, who made a brilliant save, sticking his hands in the air and palming it round the post for a corner.
Minutes later Carlisle should have got back in the game as former Middlesbrough stirker Danny Graham headed the ball across goal towards Garner who just couldn't apply the finishing touch from inside the six-yard box before the ball went back down the other end with Paul McLaren and Chris Greenacre both getting inside the Carlisle area, but on both occasions the angle was too tight and the ball was on the wrong foot for each player to shoot.
On 65-minutes Sherriff had another effort on goal as he headed a Paul McLaren corner well over the bar at the near post before Tranmere made their second substitution of the game on 73-minutes as the faultless Zola was replaced by youngster Craig Curran.
In the final ten minutes, Carlisle had another surge of pressure and indeed should have scored on at least one occasion.
Firstly Kevin Gall forced Danny Coyne, who had a terrific game, despite not making too many noticable saves, which is good for his confidence following his error against Luton, into a save from inside the area before United had a contended for the miss of the season.
Carlisle had had a few more corners and were putting pressure on down the Tranmere left. They got the ball into the area from the right on this occasion, and as it flashed across goal, it made its way to the back post, where an unmarked Gall slid in and somehow managed to kick the ball further away from goal when it was nearly over the line when he touched it.
As it was though, Tranmere managed to hold on and keep a clean sheet in the process of completing a very handy 2-0 win over a team who will definatley be considered promotion contenders.
The win completed the double over Carlisle and also saw Rovers overhaul the results of last season against Carlisle, when Rovers lost 1-0 away and 2-0 at home to the Cumbrians, the opposite of what they achieved this season.
Tranmere were worthy winners on the day and appeared to want the win more. In midfield, Rovers were brilliant, a constant threat as Jennings and McLaren in particular made some key passes and tackles, whilst McLaren's set-pieces were superb.
The Wirral side showed a willingness to shoot from distance, something which has been missing in recent weeks, and hopefully two goals will give them more confidence to do so in the future.
Jones' Man of the Match: For me, despite immense performances from Paul McLaren and Antony Kay, Calvin Zola was the Man of the Match today, this despite being substituted after 73-minutes. The Tranmere number eight showed good pace when running at his men and was brilliant when holding the ball up with back to goal. More performances like that from the big man will keep Gareth Taylor out of the team on his return from injury.
Don't forget the Tranmere Rovers Mad Christmas Quiz, which can be found at http://www.tranmererovers-mad.co.uk/news/loadfeat.asp?cid=EDY1&id=368856