Match Report

REFEREE: Mr Anthony Taylor

Alty fielded a similar side to that which had performed disappointingly at Marine the previous Saturday. Into the starting line up came trialist Cavell Coo, in left midfield, replacing Rod Thornley. Rose, Little and trialist Gaysham were the other starters on Saturday who did not begin tonight's match. In their places at kick off were Owen, Potts and Sedgemore. The bench included trialists Chris Baguley (ex-Oldham A.), Matthew Berkeley (ex-Gretna) and Steven Moore (from Curzon Ashton, though he was named as Chris Moores on the teamsheet).

Tranmere had already beaten Marine 3-1 this pre-season and as Alty had lost to Marine 48 hours before this match, the omens were not good. Alty last hosted Tranmere to a pre-season game on 17 July 2002 in a match which ended 1-1, thanks to goals from Jason Koumas and Rod Thornley. Alty included Tranmere goalkeeping coach Eric Nixon as their keeper that day. Their side was Nixon, Derek Ward, Gary Scott, Andy McDonald, Mark Maddox, Gary Talbot, Neil Ryan, Ian Craney, Danny Murphy, Rod Thornley and Ryan Hevicon, with Stuart Locke on the bench alongside goalkeeper Chris Williams, Stephen Rose, and a cohort of trialists who included Kevin Duncalf, Peter Mellor, Mike Miller, Mike Turner, Danny Frost. Tranmere's side included James Olsen, later to join Alty, as well as Koumas, Andy Parkinson, Alex Hay and Stuart Barlow

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN; 2. Chris LANE, 4. Karl MUNROE, 5. Darren TINSON (capt), 3. Steve ASPINALL; 7. Robbie LAWTON, 8. Val OWEN, 6. Jake SEDGEMORE, 11. Cavell COO; 9. Colin LITTLE, 10. Joe O'NEILL. Subs: 8* Chris BAGULEY, 10*. Chris SENIOR, 12. Gary SCOTT, 14. Stephen ROSE, 16. Colin POTTS, 16* Matthew BERKELEY, 17. Rod THORNLEY, *. Steven MOORE, GK. Richard ACTON.

TRANMERE ROVERS (All yellow): 12. John ACHTERBERG; 2. Michael JOHNSON, 4. Ashton TAYLOR, 5. Ben CHORLEY, 3. Carl TREMARCO; 6. John MULLIN, 8. Paul HENRY, 11. Adnan AHMED, 7. Michael JONES; 9. Gareth TAYLOR, 10. Craig CURRAN. Subs: Robbie STOCKDALE, Shane SHERRIFF, 15. Steve JENNINGS, Paul McLAREN, Danny COYNE, 2*. Steve DAVIES, Chris SHUKER, Calvin ZOLA, Chris GREENACRE.

After changing ends, Tranmere kicked off into the bright, setting sun. Apart from a lot of energetic running and head tennis the early minutes were unremarkable but the game's first half-chance came after three minutes when O'Neill did well to get his foot to a low cross from the right, ahead of a defender, but Achterberg saved this close-range effort (3 mins). Coo showed some good early touches before a good cross from Sedgemore was met by a header from Little which went across the face of goal (6 mins). Altrincham were performing much better than they had done at Marine, 48 hours earlier, with the defence looking solid and Owen, as ever, getting stuck-in in midfield. Lane and Tinson are both settling in well at the back but manager Heathcote was obliged again to play Steve Aspinall out of position at left-back, a role in which he was to perform capably.

O'Neill was working hard up front, with Little supporting him, but the Tranmere defence was keeping both at bay. Alty keeper Stuart Coburn then made two excellent blocks, firstly from a thunderbolt from the right by Thomas and then, after he had beaten that out, from Jones's follow-up (15 mins). Play switched from end to end in a fairly entertaining way but without any serious goal threat for a quarter of an hour though, for Tranmere, the strikers Taylor and Curran were a handful. Then Little was taken down from behind to give Alty a free kick, from which Tinson nodded Aspinall's kick wide of goal (33 mins).

Altrincham now had a very close shave when an error just outside their box on the left-centre of their defence allowed the impressive Curran to shoot past a stranded Coburn, only to see his shot come back off the post (34 mins). Alty had their own bad luck moments later when a fine ball forward from Lawton set O'Neill running in the box. He went down under a challenge but referee Taylor, officiating for the third time this pre-season at Moss Lane, did not show any interest in answering Alty's penalty appeals in the affirmative (35 mins). Tranmere now replaced the injured Mullin by Jennings (37 mins). Next, an Aspinall free kick was scrambled clear before Alty won another free kick when Coo was dumped on the ground by Johnson. Sedgemore's free kick, from the left, evaded everyone in the box and just went wide of the back post (38 mins).

The unflappable Lane then headed clear at the Alty end before more good work from O'Neill set Little free but he was closed down. Play continued to go from end to end but half-time arrived with the score sheet still blank as Alty sought their first clean sheet of pre-season.

The lights came on at the break though it was still fairly bright in the setting sun as Alty kicked off towards the Golf Road end. After more probing by each side of its opponent's defence, play was halted after a collision between Owen and Jennings which saw both men need attention and the Alty man was apparently booked (51 mins). The Rovers' substitute came off worse and was unable to continue and was himself substituted by Steve Davies a few minutes later (54 mins). Just before the new man came on, a good pass inside, to his left, from O'Neill set up Little but he miskicked badly and the chance went begging. But Alty now enjoyed some pressure, winning two corners in as many minutes. After the first, won by Little, Coo got in an overhead shot which was blocked.

Altrincham now introduced Colin Potts on the right in place of central midfielder Val Owen (58 mins). Alty continued to set the pace and following a free kick from Sedgemore, relayed by Little, Tinson beat Achterberg in the air but his header went wide (60 mins). But Tranmere were a danger on the counter attack. However, Alty then went behind in unfortunate circumstances. Coo had done well to intercept a pass, only to be fouled, but as the ball got to Little, the referee played "advantage". However, Little lost possession and the advantage turned to disadvantage as a ball was played up the middle by Jones. Curran and Munroe chased the ball back towards the Alty goal with the Tranmere man getting there first before shooting accurately past Coburn's right hand to send the ball into the net off the inside of the post (62 mins). The goal had come against the run of play.

Coo had more bad luck after the restart when he was put through into the left of the box by Little only to be brought down by Johnson. For the third time in the match referee Taylor waved away a penalty appeal, this being the strongest of the three cases. Alty now started to use more substitutes but with several trialists on the bench, they opted initially for the well-known face of Rod Thornley, who replaced Coo on the Alty left (64 mins). A fine ball from Potts soon set Little free but he was given offside and then Alty did bring on a trialist, in the shape of striker Matthew Berkeley who replaced Joe O'Neill, who had started the game well but had less impact as the match progressed (68 mins). After a through ball had gone over Munroe, Curran had shot wide before Alty replaced the central defender by Stephen Rose (74 mins).

Sedgemore continued to be involved in Alty's forward movements and he took many of the deadball kicks tonight as well as corners. More substitutes arrived as Senior came on for Little (80 mins) and Baguley for Sedgemore (82 mins). But the closing stages largely belonged to Tranmere as they kept possession well and won two late corners.

From the first of these, the ball came to Curran whose firm shot was brilliantly saved at point blank range on the goal-line by Coburn (88 mins). The final whistle signalled a narrow but deserved win for the visitors and Alty's second successive 1-0 defeat. This time, however, there was no shame in the outcome as Alty had given a good account of themselves against stronger opposition.

After the match Alty boss Graham Heathcote re-signed Rod Thornley, Gary Scott and Pat McFadden for next year and also signed up Colin Potts who had been with the club until midway through last season before being released. Alty's final pre-season game is next Saturday at home to Ken McKenna's TNS (The News Saints, formerly Total Network Solutions) before the Blue Square Premier season starts with a home game to Exeter City on 11th August.