Tranmere Rovers . . . . . . . . .1, Fulham . . . . . . . . . 4

Attendance:12.362

THERE is nothing like being kicked when you are down. Fulham's unsympathetic 4-1 beating of Tranmere Rovers leaves the Wirral side licking its wounds at the bottom of the Nationwide League Division One table.

Fulham continued unabated towards Premiership status in front of another huge crowd at Prenton Park on Friday night, while Tranmere are left with just eight games to turn around their spiral down to the Second Division.

After a sharp opening from Tranmere, the visitors stepped up a gear and got the perfect start to the match. Andrejs Stolcers launched a cross field ball from the right which landed at the dancing feet of Louis Saha.

Saha showed great skill to put himself in a shooting position and drove the ball home under Rovers' keeper Joe Murphy.

Both teams had good possession but Fulham had the killer instinct to make and convert chances and the second goal followed on the 30 minute mark.

Lee Clark dispossessed Simon Osborn and released Barry Hayles, who smashed a shot into the roof of the net.

Tranmere had chances to pull back a goal in the first-half, the best coming just before the whistle when Mickey Mellon dragged a shot wide after looking certain to score.

The second-half saw Seyni N'Diaye step on as substitute and make a few new friends with the Tranmere faithful, but the Rovers' attacks were constantly frustrated.

Any comeback was snubbed on 65 minutes when Hayles left Richard Jobson stranded and scored from 18 yards out.

Fulham's final goal came after sustained assaults on Tranmere's beleaguered Murphy. A cross from Kit Symonds was headed down by Saha for the ball to bounce in front of Murphy - and into the goal.

Rovers grabbed a consolation score when Simon Osborn belted home a goal from close range on his Prenton Park debut from a headed cross off Stuart Barlow.

Tranmere Rovers: Murphy, Kenna, Allen, Jobson, Roberts, Osborn, Mellon, Flynn, Koumas, Rideout (sub: Barlow, 46 mins), Allison (sub: N'Diaye, 46 mins). Subs (not used): Achterberg, Yates, Hume.

Fulham: Taylor, Finna, Melville, Symons, Brevett, Clark, Collins, Davis, Stolcers, Hayles, Saha. Subs (not used): Thompson, Neilson, Moller, Riedle, Betsy.