Lacklustre Rovers

12:38pm Monday 17th December 2007

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Lacklustre Tranmere Rovers were forced to settle for a point after fighting out a disappointing 0-0 draw against relegation-threatened Port Vale on a freezing Saturday afternoon.

Rovers will have been relieved to emerge from this mediocre contest unscathed after being put under pressure for long periods of a match in which Danny Coyne produced a flawless performance to keep the hosts at bay.

Port Vale had plenty to prove following their midweek humiliation in crashing out of the FA Cup to non-league Chasetown, and their determination to make amends was all too evident in their dominance of the opening exchanges.

Vale's three-pronged attack of Luke Rodgers, David McGoldrick and Calum Willock looked a real handful up front, and it was McGoldrick who crashed the first effort of the game well over the bar on 10 minutes.

Although Tranmere enjoyed brief forays into the Vale half, the home side remained on top and came within a whisker of taking the lead on 26 minutes, McGoldrick's curling 25-yard free-kick hitting the inside of the post and bouncing away with Danny Coyne left stranded.

Coyne was back in the action on the half-hour, comfortably saving McGoldrick's decent header from Rodgers' right-wing cross, and with Rovers struggling to get out of their own half, Rodgers' thumping drive from distance had Coyne scrambling to his right to make a tricky stop.

Ronnie Moore will have been a relieved man to hear the half-time whistle, but Vale were out of the blocks quickly straight after the interval, Andy Taylor denying Willock's goal-bound effort with a brilliant block just 40 seconds into the second half.

Coyne saved comfortably from Rodgers and, with the second period just three minutes old, the former Crewe and Shrewsbury man was in the action again, diving low to head just past the post.

Tranmere finally made some inroads into the Vale half, and Jennison Myrie-Williams missed a good chance on the stretch at the far post after being set up by Chris Greenacre's left-wing cross.

With the contest threatening to peter out to nothing, Ronnie Moore sent on teenager Craig Curran and Gareth Taylor, and the two substitutes had the Vale defence scrambling to clear their lines within minutes of their introduction.

On 70 minutes, former Wales international Taylor headed past the post after being set up by his namesake, Andy, from the left, and at the other end, McGoldrick twisted and turned before firing over with his left foot from just outside the box.

Rodgers drove just past the far post from a very tight angle after Rovers had done just enough to scramble away a corner, and Danny Coyne was forced to head away outside his box after Ben Chorley had put the Tranmere keeper in all sorts of trouble with a looping back-header.

Coyne punched away McGoldrick's stinging effort as the hosts pressed for a winner, and Rodgers slashed well wide from a great position inside the area after latching onto the loose ball.

Globe Man of the Match: Danny Coyne - excellent in keeping hosts out.

Tranmere: Coyne, Kay, Chorley, Goodison, Andy Taylor, Sherriff, Myrie-Williams (sub: Curran, 66 mins), Mullin, McLaren, Zola (sub: Gareth Taylor, 66 mins), Greenacre.