Vital three points for Tranmere Rovers (From Wirral Globe)

Vital three points for Tranmere Rovers

9:25am Wednesday 25th November 2009

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GOALS from captain Ian Goodison and Terry Gornell earned Tranmere Rovers a vital three points on a wet and blustery night at Prenton Park.

Visitors Southend United made the long trip back to Essex empty-handed thanks to the efforts and endeavours of their hosts, who fully deserved to claim only their second league victory under the tutelage of caretaker manager, Les Parry.

Results elsewhere may have kept Rovers at the foot of Coca Cola League One, but crucially Parry’s side now lie just four points from safety at a time when they could well have been cast adrift.

Although results have continued to go against Rovers, there has been plenty of improvement under Parry and they finally reaped the rewards of their endeavours here. This was a performance of real fight and character in difficult conditions, and while the contest was fairly scrappy and low on quality, Tranmere were comfortably the better side throughout.

Ian Goodison’s 10th-minute opener undoubtedly settled the nerves. Chris Shuker and Craig Curran worked a neat short corner, Shuker’s cross picked out Gornell at the back post, and the Rovers striker nodded back for Goodison to head into the roof of the net.

Southend, for their part, offered precious little to threaten Luke Daniels’ goal. Sean Morrison had a header cleared off the line by Shaleum Logan on the quarter-hour, and Daniels saved well from Adam Barrett in the second period, but generally the Shrimpers were kept comfortably at bay.

At the other end, their goalkeeper Steve Mildenhall made a handful of smart saves, with the industrious Curran being superbly denied twice during the second period, and Ian Thomas-Moore’s exquisite volley being acrobatically tipped over the bar.

Mildenhall could do nothing about Rovers’ second, however. Curran won the ball down the right channel, Logan swung a cross towards Gornell, and the striker swept home the loose ball to make the game safe after Southend had failed to clear their lines.

Globe Man of the Match: Ash Taylor – superb both in midfield and defence.

Tranmere: Daniels, Logan, Bakayogo, Goodison (McLaren, 64), Broomes, Taylor, Edds, Welsh, Gornell, Shuker (sub: Thomas-Moore, 75), Curran.

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