OXFORD UTD.......................2

TRANMERE ROVERS...........0

(Att: 4,748)

TRANMERE Rovers remain at the bottom of League Two after defeat by fellow strugglers Oxford United.

A goal in each half from Tyrone Barnett and Alfie Potter earned Oxford a 2-0 win at the Kassam Stadium.

New boss Micky Adams - who will officially take charge on Tuesday after being appointed on Thursday - watched from the stand as Tranmere suffered their eighth league defeat.

Assistant manager Matt Gill described the result as disappointing and said the side must quickly drawn a line under it and move on.

Gill and coach Alex Russell named an unchanged starting line-up from the game against Plymouth, with Owain Fon Williams returning from international duty to be named among the substitutes.

Tyrone Barnett gave the hosts the lead, sweeping home Danny Hylton's low cross 30 minutes into the game.

Marc Laird replaced Gill at the start of the second half, the first substitution for either side.

Abdulai Baggie and Eliot Richards replaced Odejayi and Barker with 20 minutes remaining but soon after, Rovers found themselves two goals down.

A right wing cross from Joe Riley was missed by Hylton on the edge of the six yard box but the ball reached substitute Alfie Potter ten yards out and he hammered a first-time shot into the net.

Rovers searched for a way back into the game late on but couldn't produce a clear chance and went home empty handed.

Adams will be in the home dugout for the first time at Tranmere’s game against Mansfield Town on Tuesday, and will need to find a winning formula if Rovers are to avoid successive relegations.

The former Port Vale boss succeeded Rob Edwards after the Welshman was sacked having won just two of 14 matches in his five-month tenure.

Oxford moved to 20th in the table and were hardly troubled, other than when Max Power forced Ryan Clarke into a fine save early on.

Gill said: "It's a disappointing result. The lads need to draw a line under it quickly.

"It's a cut throat industry. If you don't take your chances you're always liable to concede at the other end.

"We know we've got loads to work on.

"The manager was here today and will know what he wants going forward. Everybody needs to do more and I'm sure the manager will get that out of us.

"He had a bit of input before the game and at half time with the substitutions.

"We need to start winning games and hopefully that is just around the corner.

"We're having a tough time at the moment and we need to turn it around as quickly as we can.

"The worst thing as a player is losing on a Saturday and then having to wait a week for another game, so Tuesday's game is a chance for everybody to get together and put in a performance the fans and club deserve."