Rovers Sunk by Ship Builders in Friendly
By Deadly Submarine
July 13 2005
A goal on the stroke of half-time for the non-league side was enough to secure a surprise win against a Rovers side that had previously beaten Vauxhall Motors by a comfortable margin last week. Ryan Taylor was absent from the side, fuelling claims that he is set to sign soon for Wigan Athletic.
Morgan 45 Once again, Rovers’ Manager Brian Little opted for a different team in each half with each team a mix of youth and experience but it was the absence of right-back Ryan Taylor from the either of the teams that caused more of a talking point than the shock of the end result. In the first half Eugene Dadi, who scored in Rovers 3-0 win at Vauxhall Motors last Friday, partnered Chris Dagnall upfront and it was Dagnall who came closest to opening the scoring in the 14th minute when he won the ball on the halfway line, ran clear but his shot was saved by the Lairds keeper. Other first half chances for Rovers fell to Ian Goodison and new signing Sam Aiston but it was Lairds who took the lead just as half-time approached when Ronnie Morgan hit a finish into the top left hand corner of John Achterberg’s net. In the second half, Tranmere’s two goal hero from the Vauxhalls game, Steve Davies, once again partnered Calvin Zola upfront and Davies almost scored early on but shot wide. Ian Sharps headed wide twice, both from corners and youngster Joe Fowler, as well as Mark Rankine and Paul Brown all tried in vain to get Rovers back into the game.
Cammell Lairds 1 – 0 Tranmere Rovers
The Teams
Tranmere (First Half):
Achterberg, Vaughan, Goodison, Jackson, Linwood, Jennings, Aiston, Harrison, Tremarco, Dagnall, Dadi
Tranmere (Second Half):
Wilson, James, Roberts, Martin, Sharps, McAteer, Fowler, Rankine, Brown, Zola, Davies
What The Boss Thought…..
Tranmere Manager Brian Little (Talking to the Official Club Website):
“Nothing pleased me about the game, I was looking to win a game of football. We were very poor in the first half whilst in the second we did enough to score. For a workout it was fine but we didn’t pass the ball or relax. It’s not a problem for us but it has reminded us what football is about.”