Tranmere Rovers 1 Plymouth Argyle 0: Match Report

by Rob Pattinson. Published Sat 13 Nov 2010 20:34

A moment of brilliance at each end of the field saw Tranmere beat fellow strugglers Plymouth to edge out of the relegation zone.

Dale Jennings scored a solo effort reminscent of Jason Koumas at his best on the hour mark, but Rovers would have thrown away the points if not for a save right out of the top draw from Peter Gulacsi in the dying stages.

Les Parry stuck with the 4-4-2 system that saw his side beat Bury at Gigg Lane last week, with Jennings replacing Cresswell on the left side and Ian Goodison returning to the side in place of on-loan Jermaine Grandison.

The only other change saw Arnaud Mendy come in for the suspended Joss Labadie alongside Welsh in the centre of midfield.

In what was an open and entertaining game both sides had plenty of chances, and while Plymouth played the more composed football, Tranmere were generally more penetrative and in Jennings had the stand-out player on the field.

With three goals to his name before today the 17-year-old was in good form and while Parry had been reluctant to play Jennings out wide in this system due to concerns about his defensive play, he proved a revelation.

In the first half he had two decent chances, the first when the ball reached him on eight minutes, with a shot following a trademark drop of the shoulder being blocked for a corner.

The second was a typically confident volley just before half time which sailed just wide.

Thomas-Moore also went close for Rovers with an attempted lob sent over the bar after six minutes, while Plymouth's best chance in the opening stages fell to Wright-Phillips who went one-on-one with Gulacsi only for the keeper to palm away.

What sets Jennings apart fron the rest though is his touch, poise, pace and directness at this level, and in the second half Plymouth had no answer to stopping him.

After going on a mazy run which ended in a blocked strike on 57 minutes, he repeated the trick on 60 and this time found the net with a superb run and finish.

Picking up the ball on half way, he was too good for Duguid, twisting in and out, slaloming past three tackles as he made his way into the area before slotting past Larrieu.

While the game had been fairly even to this point, the goal was probably deserved as Tranmere had shown the greater ambition, with Morrow showing flashes of ability having replaced the injured Showunmi, Welsh strong in midfield and Bakayogo and Cathalina readily supporting from the full back positions.

But a final ten minute assault from Plymouth very nearly brought them level, and in truth they were quite unlucky not to nick a share of the spoils.

A series of inch perfect corners caused consternation in the Rovers penalty box, with Gulacsi twice punching clear and Welsh heading off the line.

The final chance of the game saw Noone, who had tormented Bakayogo and been Plymouth's best player, go clean through on goal only for on-loan Liverpool keeper Gulacsi to somehow palm the ball over the bar to preserve the points for Rovers.

Parry will now be hoping Jennings can carry on his good form following this result, and with Morrow coming into the team, Taylor closing in on a return and his first choice defence starting to gel, will be looking for a more consistent period in the run up to Christmas.

But more than anything else he will be hoping to still have Dale Jennings at the club once the January transfer window closes- and if the young striker carries on in this form that will be no mean feat.

Rovers side: Gulacsi, Cathalina, Bakayogo, Goodison, Broomes(Grandison 77), Jennings, Akins, Welsh, Mendy, Showunmi(Morrow 41), Thomas-Moore. Subs not used: Collister, Darville, Cresswell, Blanchard, Fraughan





Comments about Tranmere Rovers 1 Plymouth Argyle 0: Match Report

There are no comments yet on Tranmere Rovers 1 Plymouth Argyle 0: Match Report. Be the first to leave one, enter your thoughts below.

Post a comment






Alert me of replies

You have characters left


 






















Powered by Click Creative
© All Rights Reserved.