TRANMERE ROVERS..............2

CHELTENHAM TOWN............3

THREE goals in six minutes saw Tranmere Rovers let slip a first half lead and left manager Rob Edwards conceding "an awful lot of things need to improve."

Edwards was critical of the defensive performance as Rovers lost 3-2 at home to Cheltenham Town.

First half strikes from Eliot Richards and Marc Laird were cancelled out after the interval by Matt Richards and Koby Arthur before Jordan Wynter slotted in the winner for the Robins.

The opening goal came on 12 minutes as Danny Woodards and Max Power played in Richards, who drifted past two challenges and placed the ball into the bottom corner of the net for his first competitive goal for the club.

On the stroke of half time, Rovers doubled their lead. Stockton won the ball on the halfway line and played across to Marc Laird, who curled a low shot in off the post from 20 yards to send Tranmere in at the break two goals to the good.

Midway through the second half Cheltenham pulled a goal back when midfielder Matt Richards took the ball wide of fon Williams and fired in from close range.

On 69 minutes the scores were level. Robins' substitute Koby Arthur got the ball 25 yards out and fired a screamer past Rovers' diving keeper into the bottom corner of the net.

The turnaround came for Cheltenham on 73 minutes after a cross from the left by Braham-Barratt was turned in by Wynter.

The manager said: "We didn't defend well enough for the whole game and we paid the price. The two really good goals we scored were wasted with a poor defensive display.

"I didn't feel comfortable the whole game, the players didn't look comfortable. We looked like we were incapble of defending as a unit.

"I didn't think at any stage we were going to win the game because of the way we were defending. We were struggling at the back and Cheltenham were attacking at will.

"It's awfully disappointing but it's part of football. There's still plenty of points to play for.

"Today reminds me that the task is going to be a bit more difficult than I thought it was going to be on Tuesday, but three days previously I thought after Shrewsbury it was going to be a tough task.

"I'm aware I've got a big job on to get a side that is going to take this club forward.

"It looked like the team were struggling for leaders in the second half so I'll be challenging the players that they need to be leaders and pull together. At 2-0 up you just need to pull together as a side, and we couldn't do it."

Edwards named an unchanged side following Tuesday night's 2-0 success at Wycombe Wanderers. For the visitors, striker Terry Gornell returned to Prenton Park in the starting line-up while fellow former Rover Paul Black was on the substitutes' bench.

Next Saturday Rovers host top of the table Morecambe, as yet undefeated in their four outings of the new League Two season.